Hunter's Charm
by Nao Takumi
Summary: !AR/AU fanfiction, Major OOCness! Zero, who is partial to his own charms, will he ever learn that as he tries to fulfill his life's mission, he might be, just accidentally luring in the king of all beasts into his lair? Or is he like that just because he wants to do it? Now rewritten and complete with the epilogue.
1. Silver Haired Seductress

_**Disclaimer: **__I Do Not own any of the characters except for any of the OC which may appear later in the story._

_**Warning: **__This story will contain shounen-ai (boy x boy), so if any one of you is averse to the idea of two boys together, I'm not sure this is the story for you._

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ This story has already been finished and its second part has started as well, but given the current circumstances, I needed to rewrite the first part because when I first wrote it, it was only a one-shot which had somehow escalated into a multi-chapter story. Now, the case is different and to make my readers fully understand the story __**Hunter's Charm**__, without rereading the whole of __**Check & Mate**__, I decided to incorporate parts of the story not previously mentioned. If I had let this carry on, people reading __**Check & Mate**__ would've surely killed me. So here it goes. The first chapter is not much different, but nonetheless, it is. I hope it won't be too much of a problem._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: Silver Haired Seductress<strong>_

Night sky filled with stars, sweet fragrance of the flowers, slow music and the melodious laughter gave a paradise's view to the pureblood's lawn. A silver haired beauty frolicking amongst the male vampires was the star of the night. She looked breathtakingly beautiful in her black net gown with a mauve silk under dress, her hair tied up in a French twist with a few bangs circling her face giving her an angelic look. The light purple glitter eyeshade contrasting well with her lilac eyes and beautiful long eyelashes.

Her beauty coaxed the surrounding vampires to touch her, feel her satiny, milky skin, but she remained vigilant at all times. It was her first time attending such a party in a long time, so she was a bit nervous, but it didn't show on her face. Her gaze, keen and unwavering, roamed the area, taking in everything from the attire to the behaviour of other vampires present.

"May I have this dance?" A blond vampire asked her, his ice blue eyes fixed on her cleavage rather than her face.

"Sure." Her harmonious laughter struck a chord in him and he shivered.

They swirled around on the slow music, the male vampire's hand moving lower and lower until it finally rested on her small backside, which she did not seem to mind much as her own hand repeatedly moved over the firm chest in a teasing manner.

"May I?" Another hand was in front of her, asking for her company for the next dance as the song ended and her current dancing partner backed away.

She looked up and saw the pureblood vampire prince. He was impeccably dressed as ever in a black premium fit double collar blazer. A V-neck waistcoat with a cream coloured dress shirt and a tone dark silk patterned tie suiting his skin tone. Her eyes raked over his body for a while before she accepted and gave her hands in his.

"How are you this evening Miss Shizuka? And might I add, you looking stunning tonight." Her chocolate haired partner said as he twirled her around. At this, she laughed beautifully and fluttered her eyelashes.

"I am fine, thank you for asking." She said with a pleasant smile and placed her right hand on the front pocket of the pureblood's coat.

"But you,' she said pointing to him, 'look even more stunning than me." She said in low arousing tone, her voice sultry enough to make the pureblood shiver in pleasure.

It was not normal for him to feel this excited about a person he had just met, but the aura that was emanating from her, both probing the person to come to her and stay away as well. It was difficult for the pureblood to figure out what was happening but nonetheless, he suppressed his doubtful side and proceeded on enjoying the evening in the presence of one Shizuka Hio.

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><p>The night ended with all of its beauty, bidding farewell to the vampires, but the pureblood and his loyal vampires stayed beside him along with Lady Shizuka Hio. Once out of sight of the uptight, formal nobles, the remaining vampires chatted amongst themselves. This situation took another drastic turn when the nobles noticed the sudden absence of Kuran Kaname. Laughter erupted every now and then on the expanse of one Aidou Hanabusa as with every new round of drinks, questions and remarks became more personal and less formal.<p>

"You know you remind me of someone." Kaname said walking over to Shizuka, appearing literally out of thin air. He stood really close to the silver haired beauty, lightly stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I felt the same to; she does look like someone I've met before." Aidou agreed with the pureblood as he handed him another glass of blood wine. He was partially glad at not being the centre of their jibes for the time being.

"It may seem funny or rude or nothing of the two, but she reminds me of Kiryuu surprisingly enough." He said and stared deep in the lilac eyes.

"Kaname Oni-sama, are you implying that Lady Shizuka looks like a man?" Kaname's younger sister, Kuran Yuuki said, smiling mischievously. Everyone just smiled at Yuuki's wittiness and Shizuka just shook her head lightly, smiling albeit a bit nervously.

"Oh no, I would never disgrace a beautiful lady." He said looking apologetically towards Shizuka.

"So what you mean is that Zero has girlish looks?" She again twisted the pureblood's words and commented on her ex-adopted brother's more than slight feminine appearance. Her gaze repeatedly settled on Shizuka who was staring at her with a clear murdering intent, as if challenging her to say something.

"Precisely." Kaname's answer caused many colours to come and go on the silverette's face, lastly setting on a deep pink.

"Kaname Oni-sama, don't you think that Shizuka-san is the prettiest girl you've ever seen, because certainly I do." The brown haired, pureblood princess walked over to the silver haired vampire and circled her arms around her waist, almost hugging her from the back.

"Not even Ruka-san can be compared to her level of beauty." Yuuki's new target seemed to be one of Kaname's admirers along with the silverette. One by one she looked at the three vampires in question and smirked. Standing on the tip of her toes, she whispered something in Shizuka's ear which made her slightly jump in surprise and her eyes widened to their fullest whereas Yuuki, had an almost angelic smile plastered on her face.

The honey colour haired vampire, Ruka, on the other hand was fuming with anger. If Yuuki wouldn't have been Kaname's sister, she would have killed her a thousand times by now.

Ruka simply stomped her feet on the marbled floor and angrily walked away. If she hadn't, she was sure she'd kill both the pureblood princess and her new silver haired friend.

"Yuuki-chan…" Kaname didn't need to say any further as the brown haired girl knew what was about to begin now. _'How many times have I told you not to tease her etcetera…? No I don't care about her but her constant bickering gets on my nerves etcetera …'_ Yuuki replayed the umpteenth repeated speech in her mind and her facial expressions turned comical with every passing second and by the end of it all, she was sticking out her tongue in disgust at nothing in particular.

All the while, Shizuka had her gaze fixed on her as Yuuki still held her by the waist and her grip was tightening.

"Umhm…" The silverette squirmed in her embrace, more than a bit uncomfortable now.

"Oh, sorry, I actually forgot you were here." Yuuki apologized and laughed a bit nervously.

"What's wrong Shizu-chan? Did you mind what I said to Kaname-sama? You don't mind me calling you Shizu-chan either, right?" Yuuki fluttered her eyelashes innocently as she asked Shizuka the question who was lost in her thoughts.

"Of course I don't mind it." The other woman answered with a restrained smile, not really sure what she didn't mind for she hadn't heard Yuuki's question.

"You don't mind me calling you that or the thing with Kaname-sama?" The way Yuuki phrased it, made Shizuka think that she had just agreed on something horrible.

"What thing with Kaname sa-sama?" Shizuka stuttered a bit, having a hard time addressing the pureblood prince that way as Yuuki's mentioning Kaname's name with her name in that secretive manner frightened her a bit.

"Oh you don't know?" She looked surprised when the vampire princess asked her. In reply the silver haired vampire just shook her head mouthing a simple no.

"Well, don't worry. I don't know it myself." Yuuki replied and laughed lightly. At this, Shizuka could only stare at her and feel pity for Ruka who had left. She understood what the poor soul went through every day, or at least, was beginning to understand... more or less.

"I guess I should be going now." Shizuka said, getting up from her comfortable seat. She felt the liquor beginning to work on her and did not want anything to go wrong at this stage.

"No you're not." Before anyone could say anything or the silver haired woman herself could fully get up, Yuuki objected and pulled her back on the sofa.

"But I have to go."

"Uh… no you don't" Yuuki replied again firmly holding her down, ignoring the pleading look in the crystal orbs.

"Yuuki-chan, I swear I'll come back again soon so why don't you let me go now?" She was on the verge of tears by now. Before anything happened to her, which could, judging by the evil princess's expression, she wanted to get away from this place.

"You know what; I've got a better idea. Why don't you stay with us for the night? I promise to make this the best night you've ever had!" Yuuki said excitedly, her evil mind working at the speed of light.

"I agree with Yuuki-sama, why don't you stay here, it's about to be sunrise any moment now." The blond vampire, whom she danced with before said and everyone agreed with him.

"Why not have another round of drinks while Ms. Shizuka makes up her mind?" Yuuki proposed as she got up to get them herself. She returned with full wine glasses and handed one to everyone and lastly gave one to the silver haired and sat beside her.

"Cheers to a new friend." She said and gulped down her drink.

After that one drink, Shizuka felt her body relax and she forgot about leaving. Her whole face, to the lobe of her ears, had been a dusty pink by the time she placed her glass on the table. Noticing that only she was left with the vampire prince, who too was heavily drunk, she attempted to get up, but her foot slipped. Thus, she landed in the pureblood's lap who was sitting beside her, both in a very compromising position now.

"Ex-cuse m-mme" She slurred trying to get up, but Kaname now held her down. She tried to resist when he brought their faces close but the resistance was futile. She was getting lost in the depths of the mahogany irises staring at her intently. It was only a matter of moments until they were ravishing each other's mouth, his hands going underneath her dress, feeling her long pale legs.

"Not here…" Shizuka unknowingly moaned, though she actually wanted to say not now (or ever, as a matter of fact). She wasn't sure how, but the pureblood had teleported them to his bedroom. Amethyst eyes searched the room, trying to find a way out, but the small bites on her neck interrupted Shizuka's chain of thought. She even forgot her purpose of attending the dance party and slowly let her mind drift into the fantasy land where the brown haired vampire prince scooped her up in his arms and they drifted off into the lands of love.


	2. Commence Mission Twisted

_**Chapter 2: Commence Mission Twisted**_

"So what do you think? Are you up for it?" He asked, a devious smile finding its way on his face.

"I've never been more pumped up in my life. Let me assure you, this mission will be the last straw, he'll fall for me now." The silverette answered staring at his mirror image on the screen.

"Zero, are you sure you'll handle it?" He was now worried about his brother's safety.

"Ichiru, don't tell me you've lost faith in my abilities." Zero chuckled darkly, his lilac eyes glowing crimson for a second. At this, Ichiru only laughed and then bid his farewell.

"I'll talk to you later then." The older twin said and closed the video chat menu, shutting down his laptop.

_Well then Zero Kiryuu, prepare yourself for the act of your life,_ the silverette thought and closed his eyes.

His relationship with his brother was far more complicated then what words could explain. They didn't live together, but that had certainly not changed anything. For the worst part of it, they had changed their loyalties for the time being; still, in the end it wasn't enough of a reason to make them part ways. Especially after what they had gone through together all those years ago. To everyone else, they might be the very portrait of betrayal, but in their hearts, they knew better than anyone else did. They might not flank it in public, but they were on the best of terms and for any outsider, they were a combined force. Though within themselves, their never ending rivalry for the best Kiryuu was commendable.

Zero knew that physically, he was better off, but when it came to spells and charms and every other mind boggling sinister thing, Ichiru had the upper hand. To make them a single entity, he won't go as far as saying he was a masochist, but he'd definitely say that Ichiru was a sadist by heart, despite how pure that heart was.

Just thinking about the twisted way his brother's mind worked strained Zero's mind enough to lull him into a dreamless slumber. All thoughts of the strenuous mission ahead of him, leaving his mind, a contended smile adoring his face.

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><p>"Just what do you think will make me agree on going with your plan?" Having woken up by Cross' constant nagging, Zero was in a foul mood. Previously he was looking forward to this mission but now, as the first point was made known to him, the need to strangle the HA president intensified, but made him a little hesitant to accept the mission.<p>

'_So what do you think? Are you up for it?'_ Precisely at that moment, Ichiru's words echoed in his mind and he remembered that smile on his face. He must've known this was going to happen to me... that prick.

"Zero-chan, you would do it for daddy, right?" Zero's eyebrow was twitching from anger, not because of what Cross had just called him, but because of the fact that his brother had withheld crucial information from him.

_I am going to make you pay for it Ichiru!_ Zero thought as he directed his anger towards the ever helpful Chairman Cross. He shot him the deadliest glare he could muster up, something which he hoped would scare the legendary hunter, but it proved to have a greater impact then what he had aimed for.

"How many times have I told you not to call me Zero-chan_?" _He spoke very slowly with practised ease, his voice dripping with deathly anger, but his insides always wrecked havoc when the older man talked to him in such a manner.

_I don't mind it if he calls me that, I sincerely don't. It's just that I would prefer if he wouldn't look at me with those all knowing eyes, just like mom's glare, tender yet fierce,_ the silverette thought and dropped his gaze to the floor, knowing that if he were to continue staring at this man standing in front of him, his mask would surely slip away.

When he looked up again, he couldn't see Cross anywhere but the look his Sensei was giving him clearly said, _'you're the one who bought it on yourself kid'_. He knew there was no way he'd be able to get out of it now.

_Laying your life on line for someone is one thing, laying your manliness, is something totally else! _He mentally shouted at the snickering image of Ichiru in his mind and followed Cross Kaein to the Hunter's Association.

_ZERO:__** I am going to kill you after I kill that bitch! **_

Zero typed the message on his cell phone and sent it to his brother whose reply came almost immediately.

_ICHIRU:__** I am assuming you were told the details of your mission... my poor, poor Ni-chan XP**_

As Zero read the message, he cursed Ichiru aloud, not caring in the least that Cross was currently sitting next to him, on the driver's seat.

_ZERO:__** Not technically, I was just told that I am going to be turned into a bloody Girl! Not just make-up and wig, but a real GIRL with all the other stuff too!**_

His fingers worked quickly on the keypad, applying enough pressure that if it was a cheap cell phone, it would have broken by now.

_ICHIRU:__** I've always wanted a sister. Remind me to thank that Okama for giving me one, even if only for a day =3**_

_ICHIRU:__** Oh and don't forget to take a picture for your brother, my cutie wootie sister. Remember, Ichi ni-san loves you no matter what ^_^**_

As Zero read Ichiru's response, he couldn't bring himself to simply reply through messaging. _Not enough emotion_, he thought and dialled the other's number.

"_**I Love You Always Forever  
>Near And Far, Close And Together<br>Everywhere I Will Be With You  
>Everything I Will Do For You-"<strong>_

"Rot in hell you pathetic excuse of a brother!" The silverette shouted as soon as Ichiru answered the call, ignoring the frivolous ring tone. He disconnected right after saying that, not even bothering to hear Ichiru's reply. He then collapsed in the seat, massaging his temple. He was surrounded by a dark gloomy aura and there was nothing the poor soul beside him could do besides increasing the speed of the car.

"I assume you told Ichiru-kun... eh-he..." Cross said driving the car inside the Association's gates. The glare that was then sent towards the man confirmed his statement and partially left him in tears.

As the two stepped out of the car, Kaito Takamiya, another renowned hunter, came to take Zero to the President's office. He politely greeted Cross and asked him to wait for a while for the chat might take some time.

"So Kiryuu, you finally got yourself a job fit for your pretty face." The brown haired hunter said chuckling.

"Sadly they couldn't appoint ugly ducklings for this mission; you would've been the President's first pick then." The silverette retorted, a smirk directed at the other.

"Why you little-" Zero cut him in mid sentence and caught him by the collar.

"Try saying that to someone you don't have to look up to Kaito." He said and released the shorter, older male, walking into the president's office after knocking twice.

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><p>"Kiryuu-kun, it's such a pleasure to see you here." The President got up from his seat and welcomed the silver haired teen. Zero took no notice of the fake merriment in the other's voice and went straight to the mission details.<p>

"Always the eager one. Well then Kiryuu-kun, everything that you need to know about this specific mission is in this folder. You may read it here if you wish or outside since it's long."

He skipped over the first few lines which told about the parties Kuran held at his mansion, but it was stated that this one was held in the pureblood's holiday house which was just outside the Academy vicinity.

_I don't think I have ever been to that place_, Zero thought as he memorized the whole house from the map drawn, from every room to all the emergency exits, servant entrance and all the area surrounding as well, it was nearer to the boy's dorm rather than the Night Dorms. After that, the silver haired teen went on to what the Association deemed as the problem causing element. It was written that Kuran was meeting up with other Vampire Council members in that party to talk about the new drug which was going to be tested on humans to test their resistance against a pureblood's bite. In short, the creation of E's with a specific condition in each which made them different from normal ones as well as each other.

_Liars... all of them were liars feeding him pointless lies..._ He thought for he was sure he had heard Ichijou Takuma talking to Kuran about the brown-haired person's uncle who was now nowhere to be found and couldn't be found as well. As he moved on from page to page, his already pale face turned paler if possible. The job required him to fully blend in with his surroundings and get as much information as he could. Now the matter wasn't just about turning into a girl, he had to be sociable with the other vampires too. And now being one, he knew vampires were really perverted and horny, especially when they saw something they couldn't have, not that he fit the description.

To make a new character within a few hours and act according to it was dangerous for Zero. If his tattoo was to be removed, he himself wasn't sure how much of his powers would he be able to hide and how much would seep through.

_If they manage to remove my tattoo, undo the magic which binds Kiryuu Zero into what I am now, I won't be able to carry on this facade for long_. Zero thought, finding himself at a dead end. At the moment, whilst he was inside the Association grounds, contacting Ichiru seemed to be a downright idiotic decision.

The pale hand unconsciously settled on the tattooed skin of his neck and he remembered the time his Sensei had cast that spell on him. It had been painful to say in the least. Sighing he got up and went over to the President's desk. He placed the folder on his desk,

"I don't seem to find anything objectionable with it so when do I have to start?" Zero asked, combing his hair with his hand.

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><p>When Zero walked out of the President's office, he was composed. Throughout the ride home he didn't utter a single word except for timely occasional Vampire Class inspired, abusive words. The silverette was having a hard time for the first time since he had started this little game. He couldn't figure out what his own reaction should be like. Should he quietly let himself be subjected to this torture or should he at least have a single outbreak, somewhat dramatic and attention catching?<p>

Walking into the Academy, Zero settled on going with the latter option. _Since he was Kiryuu Zero, there wasn't anything he should do without causing uproar,_ he thought and chuckled before slipping into character.

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><p>"But why now? The party is two days away!" As soon as he entered the Chairman's office, Zero shouted, gathering fake tears in his eyes. It wasn't a difficult thing to do if he synchronized his feelings with those of Kiryuu Zero; he could feel the other's pain. How did they even think that he would agree on doing such a thing? Vampire hunter or not, it was plane absurd.<p>

For one, he was angry with Ichiru for keeping such things from him and then the Association for the obvious reasons. He thought that up till now he had dutifully done everything asked from him so this job would not be something this warped and meaningless. And at moments like these, the best outlet to his anger was through the Night Class vampires.

"Association doesn't want their cover to just blow up so they want you to practice. Zero-kun, this spell will work on you for 70 - 80 hours, we are giving it you beforehand so that you can feel comfortable in your new body. I am sure you understand that they only mean well." Zero already knew that but when the older hunter said that in his serious, but considerate voice, it meant a lot to him seeing that even though he had deceived Cross for the most part, the man was still hoping the best for him. Zero sighed, staring at his teacher who was previously seated comfortably in a sofa on the far end of the room, and was now getting up.

Zero followed Yagari to his own room in the Chairman's private quarters where he would remove his tattoo. Lilac eyes looked at the blue one and his Sensei nodded his head, assuring the teen that nothing would go wrong.

Zero lowered his head enough that his bangs covered his eyes. He knew that they won't remain lilac for a little while after the tattoo would be removed. Bracing himself for the pain, Zero clenched the sheets on his bed and let the older man do his job.

As soon as the tattoo disappeared, a wave of raw power surged through Zero's body which he easily controlled. He took a few minutes to tone down the building havoc in him as deeply buried memories arose.

After the tattoo had been removed, Touga left Zero alone for a little while before he turned him into a girl and begrudgingly, Zero nodded. The silverette took the time to compose his bearings and put a leash on his powers. It was like a volcanic eruption of emotions, memories, feeling of revenge, soaring power. For the first time in the past four years Zero felt whole. He felt himself become one with his past, not the withered shell he portrayed to be now.

An hour later, the older hunter once again came in the silverette's room and this time, he had an almost regretful looks on his face. Zero groaned, bracing himself for the impact. It happened in the blink of an eye, one minute Zero Kiryuu was standing in front of the older man and the next, he was laying flat on the floor, unconscious.


	3. From Hunter To Huntress

_**Chapter 3: From Hunter to Huntress**_

He lay alone in his room, staring at the ceiling with tears welling up in his eyes. When he had regained consciousness, he was laying in his bed, a foreign feeling enveloping his being. He sat up and shook his head a few times to clear up the scattered mess.

"Okay Kiryuu, time to get up!" Zero said to himself and jumped at the girlish voice that hit his ears. He looked around him and remembered the unforgettable.

He was a Girl now. Not a boy, not a bishounen, hell not even a boy wearing a dress, make-up and a wig! He was a girl, the real deal!

Sitting up properly now, Zero noticed the dress laid out for him to wear on the edge of the bed. It was a plain summer dress; knee length, pale blue frock with a halter top and a simple flower belt around the midsection. He noticed the shoes on the floor and face palmed himself. Cross had gotten him court shoes, with a three inch pencil heel!

Grabbing the clothes and the other necessities with them, Zero barged inside the washroom and took of his jeans and then the shirt he was wearing. Refusing to look at himself in the mirror naked, Zero hurriedly jumped in the shower and started cleaning himself up. He was glad for one thing that he didn't need to do something as ridiculous as shaving; his skin was marble smooth and baby soft with no excess hair on any part of him. _Maybe it's because I am a vampire_, he thought and finished up with his bath. Wrapping a towel around him, Zero walked out of the shower and started drying his long silver hair.

"It's such a nuisance, why did I have to have long hair?" He grumbled but turned on the blow dryer anyway. After spending fifteen minutes drying and dying, Zero walked out of the bath room and started getting dressed, his face a bright red as he slipped on the not so manly under garments.

_No one, I can assure you that No One would go to such extents to get someone's trust whom they detest from the bottom of their heart_, Zero thought and pulled at his hair, wincing at the pain.

Eyeing his transformed self in the mirror after getting ready, the silverette could clearly see the resemblance. He felt as if he hadn't just seen his own image; it was more as if he was seeing his saviour's lover. The same long silver hair, heart shaped porcelain face, big beautiful eyes and then the most endearing feature of her. The murdering glint in the teary amethyst eyes; pure, dark, fiery hatred hidden behind the sweetest of all smiles and the heart of ice underneath that warm, flushed skin.

'_For one thing that President did, I am glad. I finally saw what beloved looked like in flesh, now I know why the old man was that... desperate to help us. For another thing, I wish he hadn't done it, I sense that he _(Association President)_ knows something. This feeling of uncertainty won't leave me until I know for sure what is going on. _

_Why was I changed into a girl for a mission this trivial? Ichiru won't tell it to me either...'_ Zero's mind was a scattered mess as he struggled between sorting out his emotions, both as Kiryuu Zero the level D vampire hunter with a tainted soul and blood, and as Kiryuu Zero with the blood of the all powerful pureblood vampire and hunter running in his veins, pure and superior to every other around him.

_If only this man knew when to stop..._ Zero thought and huffed, wiping away the wetness from his eyes.

* * *

><p>A knock at the door brought him back to reality where he wasn't killing the Association's president. He straightened his dress and opened the door.<p>

"What do you want now Cross?" The teen asked, suppressing the wave of negative emotions surging through his body.

"Sayori-chan is here to help you. She will take you to the saloon-" Even though Chairman Cross was still speaking; Zero couldn't hear anything over the sound of the word saloon echoing in his mind. Horrendous lifelike images of pink girlish rooms popped up in his mind and annoying girls touching him and giggling aimlessly haunted his thoughts. He was sure he also heard the word 'shopping' and 'girls' before he saw the ex-hunter prance away but he just couldn't bring himself accept this sick twist of fate.

He quietly walked out of the room to the parking lot, all the while thinking of the most painful ways by which he could place the Association President on his death bed.

The rim of his amethyst orbs glowed a dull crimson as his anger got the better of him. He found out that the heat of the sun irritated his skin which was now flushed and slightly hurting too. _Must be because of the complete vampire transformation_, he thought and hurried towards the car beside which Yuuki's ex-best friend, Wakaba Sayori was waiting for him.

The aforementioned girl stared at him wide eyed and her mouth hung open. To anyone else who didn't know him, they would've mistaken his expression and possibly label it as embarrassed or flushed.

"Kiryuu-kun?" She asked him and he refrained from face-palming himself. He merely nodded in answer and walked closer to the car.

"Oh my gosh… Kiryuu-chan, you've never looked this beautiful before." The usually quiet and sensible brown-haired girl said, her eyes wide and mouth hung open. The only response Zero could give acknowledging her presence was a nod of his head as he proceeded on sitting beside her.

"So where do you want to go first, the saloon or the mall?" Sayori spoke up again. Since Zero wasn't so sure of how things went, he left it to the other girl, saying, "I don't really know, where do you think we should go first?"

"Well then to the saloon first." Sayori said, continuing on staring at Zero as she asked another question,

"Ummm… Kiryuu-chan, mind telling me how and why you turned into a girl?"

"Association wants me to attend the purebloods upcoming dance party and since everyone their already knows me and I won't be able to do my work well being a guy, they put a spell on me which turned me into a girl and completely suppressed my hunter's side. Now no one will sense anything unusual in me." By the end Zero was wiping away the tears flowing down his porcelain cheeks, not in physical or mental pain rather, at the thought of him going through with such idiocy.

"Oh… but why you? There must be more people in the Association who are more feminine than you are?" He shook his head, feeling pitiable for himself. He wasn't feminine in any way if one looked at him closely or from afar. He had everything that a boy had; well he at least used to have.

"They say I am the perfect hunter for doing this job and I already know a lot about the pureblood and the other night class students so it shouldn't be difficult for me. And if anything should go wrong by any chance, I'll be able to take control of the situation." He decided that telling her the supposed truth was the best thing to do in this situation because he wanted an ally for himself. Someone whom he could confide in his secrets if anything went wrong, not that he'd allow anything to go wrong, and this girl Wakaba Sayori, looked like the perfect candidate.

"Well here we are, let's make use of the time and money we have." She said and pulled Zero out of the car before he had the time to think over the matter anymore.

_Ack! Such a horrific place! Why would anyone want to go in a demon's lair by choice?_ Zero thought and sighed. Vampires, he understood, hunters, he did too. But humans, especially women, understanding them was beyond Zero's mental capability. _Unless they were masochists, why would anyone willingly let others inflict torture on them?_ He asked himself and thus, cursing the Association President from the depths of his heart, Zero let Sayori drag him inside the saloon to get all glamour up.

"Well then, what deal should we take?" Sayori said, looking at the packages available. There was Party package, Bridal package and a Night-event package.

"Manicure, pedicure, hair-cut, optional dye-job, plucking, skin polish... and body massage!" She read aloud the services provided in the Party package and decided that this was what Zero was going to have when the boy turned girl interjected.

"I am sorry to make such selfish demands but would you please consider joining me for I can't get done with these things alone. Oh and don't worry about the extra expanses, if it isn't much of a bother, I'll pay for you." Zero offered. He was sure that if he were to stay amongst this group of weird women who looked like they were practically undressing him from their eyes, he knew he'd die a premature death.

"Sure, if it isn't much of a bother." Sayori replied and the girls embarked on the journey to glamour.

* * *

><p><em>I swear on my currently non-existent manhood that I will get my revenge on that twisted Okama and that evil arse of a brother of mine!<em> Zero thought, cryptically eyeing a fashion magazine, a dark and gloomy aura surrounding him. Whilst he was busy doing that, Sayori along with the beautician were busy deciding a new look for Zero.

"So what do you thing suits _Her_ more, a side fringe or a simple layered hair cut?" The beautician asked Sayori, pointing at the computer screen.

_I think none of the two, how about going bald?_ Zero answered in his mind, mimicking the girls.

"Will you stop staring holes into the magazine's page and help us come to a decision; it's your image that is on the line here!" His honey eyed companion said, snatching the magazine and throwing it on the pile beside the sofa.

Much to Zero's chagrin, they spend three hours in there and when they came out, Zero was looking beyond breathtaking.

"Now, we will be going to the mall." Sayori said to the driver once they were seated in the car.

"I'm tired, can't we go home now?" Zero whined but stopped when he received a hard glare from the other girl.

"I almost forgot to ask, what is your name?" Yori asked Zero.

"My name? Kiryuu Zero?" The now 'she' said a bit confused.

"Way to go Kiryuu, you went all the way to change your identity by becoming a girl and you forgot the first step?!" Yori's voice was filled with sarcasm. Zero blushed a bit in embarrassment.

"I didn't think about it." He said and looked at Yori, silently asking her to suggest something.

"Hmmm… I think Shizuka would suit you." At this, Zero chuckled humourlessly. The name had hit a nerve. _Shizuka, the ice angel._ In objective light, he thought the name to be rather fitting his image, though the 'angel' part seemed a bit of an exaggeration, if not taking it solely based on physical appearance.

Sayori was rubbing her chin, deep in thought, completely unaware of Zero's current predicament. Suddenly, she turned towards the silverette and slightly pushed his hair back and pulled Zero closer.

"What- what are you doing?" Zero asked a bit terrified.

"Where is your tattoo?"

"Oh that… well you see it was supposed to restrain my vampire side so they removed it so I am a complete vampire now." He breathed a sigh of relief when the brown haired girl left him.

"Makes sense…" The rest of the ride was quite as Zero was busy with playing with a strand of his hair and Sayori was still deep in thought, staring out of the car.

* * *

><p>Their trip to the mall was short and Zero got himself an elegant gown for the dance and black stiletto shoes to match the dress. Zero and Sayori had already made a deal that the silverette would hand over the dress, shoes and jewellery to the other girl after his mission was over and he returned to his old self.<p>

"How can girls live like this?" Zero huffed as he threw all the shopping bags on his bed and went over to his wardrobe to pick a decent suit to wear after a relaxing bath.

The next whole day he practiced with Sayori acting like a girl. It wasn't much of a work as Zero was not one of the ill-mannered or dirty kinds of boys and he learned stuff rather quickly as well.

* * *

><p>"Big day Zero-kun. I hope it goes well." Yori said as she put final additions on Zero's make-up. In the past two days, they had gotten quiet close and on first name bases at that. Zero smiled a bit nervously and looked at himself in the mirror and then at Yori questioningly.<p>

"You look fine, well actually more than fine. I can assure those vampires will have a hard time looking at anything which does not have silver hair." Yori said that jokingly but the fact still remained that Zero looked far more beautiful than Night Class girls at the academy did.

* * *

><p>Throughout the night, Zero had to repeatedly restrain himself from doing anything brash. He had to constantly chant a patience mantra in his mind to keep his sanity intact, lest he gave into his vampire nature. To accomplish this mission without any hiccups, he had to resort to flirting with the vampires who showered him with unnecessary attention just to remain unsuspected. All the time, the very thought that '<em>How low can I stoop to flirt with him?'<em> clouded his mind.

Everything was going smoothly until the bane of his life, namely Kuran Kaname decided that he wanted to try flirting with him... er, her.

Yuuki, though she had saved his cover from being blown then, Zero knew all along that for everything she did, she had an ulterior motive. He didn't know what she was planning now, but he had been wary of her the whole night. He was only staying around until he got the signal that it was safe to leave now, but he had told himself that even if he didn't get the go to leave, one suspicious move from Yuuki, and he would flee like a girl from the place, no pun intended.

It was during this deliberation that Yuuki had made her move and succeeded in making Zero drunk on some vial which he was a hundred and ten percent sure wasn't an alcoholic beverage. This liquid was making his insides churn in a not so unpleasant way. In a very long time, he wanted to feel the touch of another person. Wanted to be touched in an intimate way, to experience the blood rushing in his veins again. And given the circumstances, he was not sure whether that was a good thing or not, but he was sure as hell that Kaname Kuran looked extremely alluring right now, especially that glossy look in his eyes.


	4. The Nightmare Begins

**_Chapter 4: The Nightmare Begins_**

Amethyst eyes opened to an unfamiliar ceiling, and everything started registering in his mind at an agonizingly slow pace.

He felt warmth surrounding his whole being, could feel the heat of another person seeping in his own skin, sending light pleasurable tingles throughout his body. Whatever he had consumed last night was still not out of his system completely. He closed his eyes once again, trying to conjure up an image of the people who he had waking up to the past few years, but to no avail. _Old man, beloved, Oka-san, Otou-san, Ichiru... _and there was someone else too, someone he couldn't quite remember at all, and the others were just too hazy to make out properly.

He had let his guard down; he had let Yuuki manipulate him. There was no going back from here... everything he had worked so hard to build was collapsing right in front of his eyes. He couldn't even remember now what he had been trying to remember.

He remembered the fiery crimson eyes which burned through his very being. The sinful lips and tongue which had their wicked way with his. The low, arousing, husky voice whispering nothing good in his ears. Creamy legs tangled with his own, piano fingers holding his body tightly... bonding with another vampire.

He jolted out of the bed in horror, the amethyst eyes finally setting on his bed partner. Kuran Kaname. He had sex with Kuran Kaname last night and had formed a bond with him of all the people out there. Zero felt as if not just one, but many grand pianos had just fallen on his head as he slowly sat down on the floor.

_Now he would know about everything. Everything I successfully managed to hide up until now. He'll know for sure who I am and the others too... I played right in to his hand. _The fact that all he could remember now was Kaname bloody Kuran who might possibly know his true identity was something he couldn't bottle up emotionally. Silent tears made their way out of his eyes one by one, wetting the porcelain cheeks. His memories of the touch of his parents, the last kisses they had given him, of old-man and how he had ruffled his hair before disintegrating were replaced with the new ones which he made with the pureblood prince. There was nothing clear he could remember except for bloody Kuran.

The silent tears slowly turned into sobs and Zero made no effort to stop them or control them. He was just so emotionally wound up right now to care about anything.

* * *

><p>Kaname Kuran woke up to the sound of someone sobbing near him. It took him some time, but he was finally able to recall the events of last evening. He remembered meeting another pureblood for the first time there. He also remembered dancing with her, then drinking heavily, and everything after that went dark.<p>

He recalled thrusting into unimaginable heat and tightness, two long pale legs wrapping around his waist, holding on to him. He remembered the feeling of touching, caressing silver silken hair, biting into a pale neck... and he remembered blood. Lots of blood-play.

This was not something out of the ordinary. The carnal instincts of vampires tended to border around animalistic more often than not. But the thing which made him wary was the fact that as far as he could remember, he was not sexually frustrated last night, neither did he remember his bed partner.

From what he could recall, something had happened last night; he had unknowingly drunk something which made his libido catch fire in one of the strangest ways. He had started craving for pure blood.

Finally gathering enough courage to face his bed partner from the previous night, he popped up from the comfortable warm bed and saw the source of the sobs. His silver haired bed partner's body was hidden from full view but he could see that the woman was now not so much of a women. She, or rather he, was sitting naked on the floor with his bottom half covered with a sheet and was crying profusely. This rather beautiful mop of hair wasn't new to the pureblood. He just sat there, trying to think the whole situation rationally, but there was no way that was possible.

There, not a few feet away from him sat Kiryuu Zero, crying like a helpless, adorable child who had possibly just cursed him to hell and back.

"Kiryuu, what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice was deprived of all emotions. If his memory served him correct, he had slept with undoubtedly, a girl last night and he was more than sure that Kiryuu Zero was not a girl. Looking Zero in his present condition returned the thirst from the night before. It wasn't as strong or over powering as last night, but nonetheless, it was there and it made him want to do unmentionable stuff to Zero.

The silverette's eyes were bloody and his lips swollen. His body was filled with bite marks here and there and the sight was extremely alluring. So much so that Kaname forgot that the person seated not far from him was supposed to be his enemy.

"What do you want Kuran?" Zero's voice did not carry the usual hatred, nor anger. It was just blank as Zero himself was trying his hardest to control the growing need to have Kaname touch him, all over and not in an innocent manner. his next few thoughts were blur as all that was Kaname assaulted his senses and apart from the brown haired vampire, he couldn't make out anything.

"Kuran, this did not happen." Sensually walking towards Kaname, his hips swaying provocatively, Zero said, having made up his mind on indulging his inner hormonal beast. Kaname could only nod, crimson flecks appearing in his chocolate eyes. Needless to say, the pureblood only needed to hear that as he turned the tables on Zero and pushed him on the bed face down.

* * *

><p>"What did I get myself into?" The pureblood face palmed as he tried to remember the events of last night clearly. Talk about a road he thought he would never go down. Sleeping with the Kiryuu Zero had definitely not been on his life to do list.<p>

There was not a single doubt in his mind that Zero allowed this all to happen due to the effect of a drug in his system, not because of his free will. And, he was not going to be any more thrilled by this development in their relationship than he was. In fact, he was willing to bet on it that Zero would be even more infuriated than he was given their current predicament. The hunter would most probably throw a fit of epic proportions, blame everything on him, and maybe even accuse him of having taken advantage of him. That could be entertaining, had he not been going through the same dilemma of what would happen now.


	5. Losing Rationality

**_A/N:_**_ Thank you for the favourites and alerts dear readers. I hope the few changes in the story were not bad and to those who are also reading **Check & Mate**, I hope the clues up until now are actually proving to be useful. _

_Warning: This story contains boy on boy action and if you don't like that, please leave now for you have been warned albeit a bit late since I think I forgot to mention it previously._

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own Vampire Knight and any of the characters except the OC's_

_On to the story, I hope you enjoy this installment. Kindly review and let me know your thoughts on it!_

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><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 5: Losing Rationality<span>_**

He couldn't help it. It was not something he was proud of, but remembering the way a very naked and incredibly handsome Kaname had taken him to the heights of pleasure made Zero crave the other's touch.

Although his back hurt quite a lot at the moment, he couldn't stop pacing in his room. The situation as it was was becoming very unpredictable and unsafe. He wasn't sure he could contact Ichiru for the time being, his younger twin would surely be on the next flight to Japan after hearing about the development. There was no one else as well whom he could confide in, not that that proved to be a problem before with Ichiru in the scene, but even he couldn't deny the need for a second person's opinion.

First and foremost, he decided to take samples of his blood and run some tests on it. He had thoroughly checked his body for any bite marks after coming from the pureblood's room. There were a lot of scratches and bite marks, but nowhere near the biting area specified for forming a blood bond. Still, he clearly remembered forming a bond with Kaname which after a little research, turned out to be a marriage bond and that was definitely not a good thing. Still, when compared to a blood bond, it was easier to handle the side effects, for it didn't require either one of them to hang by each others necks on the slightest indication that the other was thirsty and as such, it would allow them some time to themselves without the other's thirst constantly bothering them. Definitely a plus point though with his still lust hazed mind, he didn't mind the idea of hanging by Kaname's neck and have those fangs suck the life out of him.

Shaking his head to clear the disturbing thoughts, Zero returned his attention to the matter at hand. There were a few ways to undo the bond, but he knew the price he would have to pay for that, not to mention the suffering Kaname might go through. Thus, keeping all of his options open, Zero decided that for the time being, the thing he needed most was solitude and without a proper reason, he wouldn't be allowed to skip his guardian duties despite his relation with the chairman.

All Zero currently needed was a fool proof plan which would ensure that no one would disturb him for as long as he wanted without arousing any suspicion amongst the campus dwellers. And of course, keeping Kaname Kuran away would be a feat in itself.

Now that things had started to get a bit clear, he wanted to move on to Yuuki's role in this whole fiasco. He knew it for a fact that Yuuki was not smart enough to come up with the whole plan on her own and had an accomplice whom he was mostly likely, already acquainted with. He needed to know who it was and fast, but before that, he needed to get an idea of the drug which she had used on him.

After taking a few samples of his blood, Zero placed it in the combined study his room had, courtesy of the chairman who thought Zero and Yuuki would concentrate better on studies if left to a rather professional surrounding. So, after Yuuki had moved out and went to the Moon Dorms, as discreetly as he could, Zero had ordered lab equipment via Ichiru and set up his personal small laboratory for use in such cases. The one time Cross had happened to come across it, Zero had easily dissolved the matter saying he wanted to test the effectiveness of the blood tablets himself, thus dissolving any suspicion.

* * *

><p>What surprised Zero the most as he stood beneath the showerhead thinking, was that Sayori hadn't come to meet him as of yet and get the details out of him and take the dreaded clothes with her as well.<p>

Currently, he had more pressing matters to care about rather than bathing, but in case Yori did come to meet him, she would notice the dried blood marring his perfect skin and the scent of sex lingering around him. Better be safe than sorry.

Of course, he couldn't help himself fantasizing about Kuran and his perfect body whilst in there. He needed to think clearly, which was not an easy feat to accomplish especially when your brain had been screwed to mush just moments ago. To get his mind on the right track, Zero had to remind himself that he didn't even like the man. Which at the end of the day, had not stopped him from sleeping with Kaname and it didn't end at just that. Why would it? He had to go and seduce the bloody pureblood as well just to douse his libido. Of course Kuran had slept with him too, and didn't like him either. Probably. He did take a weird pleasure in teasing him, Zero mused thoughtfully. Kaname was just plain annoying and confusing.

But hell be frozen if lied and said Kaname was anything but amazing in bed. The guy definitely had some serious skills and techniques up his sleeves. His ass had the bites, dents, and tenderness to prove it. Not that he was complaining in the least.

_It's just a phase and probably the result of the bond. I'll get over it_, Zero thought to himself as he finished cleaning himself. There was just no way that he would allow Kaname Kuran to get under his skin and put blemishes on the perfect memory of his family and loved ones. No way was that possible. And if luck was with him, he would wake up and this would all just be a nightmare, but Kiryuu Zero wasn't famous for having a good luck, quite the opposite actually.


	6. Acting Extraordinaire

_**A/N:** Sorry for the late update, I was on holidays. Thank you for the reviews and favourites and alerts, your feedback means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Please leave a review, they encourage me to post faster ^_^_

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter 6:<strong>__** Acting Extraordinaire**_

When Zero came out, he felt comparatively better than the morning. He didn't feel the overwhelming urge to jump on Kuran at the moment. He didn't feel his body getting aroused at the mere mention of the pureblood's name and as far as Zero was concerned, this was a good sign. He paced along the length of his room, completely ignoring the presence of a brunette in his room.

During his musings, he had completely failed to keep up his 'Zero Kiryuu' character and roamed around the room with only a small towel hiding his dignity. His mind was fixed on one point, how to isolate himself from others? He came up with various scenarios in his mind in the past five minutes, discarding each of them due to a possible loop hole. It had been around three hours since the time he escaped Kaname's room and in those past three hours, he had not been able to conjure up a single appropriate thought which remained that way till the very end. Although now, he was able to focus better considering majority of the drug was out of his system.

_What possible excuse can I use?_ He questioned himself and turned towards his bed. _Maybe relaxing a bit might help_, he thought and just as he was about to jump back on the bed, realization dawned upon him. The saucer wide amethyst eyes locked with honey brown ones and a blush crept on the fair skin of the other's cheeks.

"Yo-r-, how long have you been here?" He asked the newly befriended girl as a situation appropriate, conversation starter even though he was perfectly aware at what time her presence had made itself known.

"Long Enough…" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Liked the view then?" Zero asked jokingly to reduce her embarrassment as well as his discomfort. Despite being a vampire and sharing showers with two healthy and pervert male vampires (one was his own brother) for the better part of his life, somehow, being in front of this strange girl in just a towel caused the silverette to blush slightly.

"Zero you-! I was so worried when you didn't return last night!" The first thing that escaped her mouth relieved Zero; he hated the awkward silence between them.

"Yeah I had a lot to drink…" Mention of the previous night brought back images to his mind which he would rather forget until the whole fiasco was sorted out.

"So, who took advantage of you last night?" Sayori asked, noting the slight colouring of the pale cheeks. At her words, Zero felt like correcting her, but remained quiet. Kuran had not taken advantage of him from as far as he could remember; he was the one who seduced the not so poor soul.

"Kaname Kuran." Nonetheless, he had answered knowing that this might just be the break he was looking for. His voice was so low when he answered that Yori had to stress her ears to catch the name. Her mouth opened and her eyes widened in disbelief, a smile slowly crept on her face and she nudged the vampire hunter in the ribs.

"So, how was your first time?" Her face lit up with anticipation and she beamed. The lilac eyes were fixed on her and the person himself exhaled loudly in disbelief.

"Of all things, this is what caught your attention?" Zero face turned comical and he tried hard to control his laughter because 'Zero Kiryuu' did not laugh out loud in front of any one, at all!

He knew he was crying profusely just hours ago, but now, he felt like giggling in childish amusement. It was all too entertaining for him, but he dare not show it to anyone lest he be regarded as mentally unstable. He was sad because he had vowed to himself not to fall for any one until he had finished the task which he came to do in the first place and like always, things had not gone exactly as he intended. He was amused because of Kuran and the confused yet innocent look he had witnessed on the other's face just before engaging for round two. Sighing, he was once again reminded that he was not alone by Sayori's light punch on his upper arm.

"It was fine…" He answered, apologizing to the mental image of Kaname who was staring at him with a smirk on his face and his eyebrow arched perfectly, an expression of utmost amusement.

"Just fine? Zero you should at least give the man some credit for I think he is pretty experienced in what he does." She said teasingly.

_You'd be surprised at the wonders his voice alone can do_, Zero's thoughts took a lusty turn remembering those wonders.

"Fine, it was good but I am still very upset because of the whole situation." He told her the partial truth.

"Did something else happen as well?" Yori placed her had on Zero's neck and slowly examined the skin, stopping on the tattooed skin.

"Zero you were bitten last night, weren't you?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the long pale neck.

"I don't remember…" Zero was dumbstruck noting her perception skills. He thought the marks had faded away by now, but a pureblood's bite marks tended to remain for a longer period of time, regardless of the other's status.

"You guys are now bonded?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

_This is it, this is the time to make or break_. In a fleeting moment, Zero decided that feigning ignorance and fear at this stage would work best for him and he did just exactly that. His expression darkened and he knew that this acting would certainly win him a few Oscars had it been shown on the big screen. Keeping up his act, Zero slowly allowed himself to fall back on the bed and to anyone who had not been privy to Zero's actual thought process, the ex-human looked currently on the verge of death or at least, had lost all consciousness.

"Zero!" Sayori shouted and caught him in time before he could fall off the bed. She held him tightly and carefully laid him on the bed in a comfortable position. Throughout the time, she was blissfully unaware of Zero's hand holding the towel tightly in its place. And once again, Zero had to pat himself on the back as well as face palm for his timing. _I should've at least worn something appropriate before pulling such a stunt_, he thought begrudgingly.

Sayori rushed to the toilet with a glass in her hands and filled it with cold water. Bringing it to Zero's side, she sprinkled some on his face, hoping that Zero would gain consciousness by it. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Worried, Yori ran out of his room and then all the way to the chair man's office where she was sure she would find the older hunter.

"Chairman Cross!" Sayori shouted as she opened the door with a loud bang. The older man engrossed in his work, shot up hearing the breathless shout and walked over to the panting girl.

"Wakaba-san, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, his sixth sense alerting him danger.

"It's Zero… he is- he has... fainted, and is not waking up!" She had hardly caught her breath from all the running and the worry was not making speaking any easier.

"What happened to him?"

"I'm not too sure. We were talking and he just fainted." Rather than lying to the chairman, Sayori left the matter for investigation completely up to the older man, urging him to follow her.

Inside his bedroom, all Zero wanted to do now was to get dressed and return to his findings about the drug, but he had to wait for a few hours more for that. If he was correct in his hypothesis, Cross would very soon be coming to visit him and then shortly after that, his Sensei. Possibly by the time of their departure, Yuuki would get the news of his fainting. For that specific encounter, Zero decided that playing partial dead would be worth it all.


	7. Factors Unaccounted

_**Chapter 7:**__** Factors Unaccounted**_

Had he known that he would be caught in this predicament, Zero was sure he could have come with other ideas to isolate himself. He was having a very hard time controlling his facial expressions and of course, prevent himself from moaning out loud because apparently, unconscious people don't do that, especially not when a certain Kuran is taking advantage of their helplessness. Especially then.

Kaname Kuran had jumped inside his room through the open window not long after Sayori had left and silently walked over to his bed. Since his eyes were closed, Zero couldn't see the look on Kuran's face. Various thoughts bombarded his mind as to why the pureblood came to visit him.

_Maybe, just maybe, Kuran missed me and came for an encore. Or, he probably came here to kill me for sleeping with him, but that would be absurd since Kuran had slept with me too. May I'm just being an idiot right now and Kuran just came here to beat the fillings out of me. _

_AAAAAaaahhhh!_ Imagining the outcome of the fight in his head, Zero screamed mentally. He didn't want to die without his brother and before fulfilling his life's mission. _Go away, go away, go away... Please Go Away!_

Zero couldn't continue his newfound mantra as Kaname suddenly bent down over him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Kaname lightly stroked Zero's cheek a few times, before he bent down again and kissed the hyperventilating boy again who was suffering from a disease that he referred to as 'Vengeance of the Hormones'.

As soon as he had started enjoying the attention Kaname was paying to him, he felt Sayori's presence near the room alongside Chairman Cross. Zero wished wholeheartedly that something would either come up to stop them from coming inside his room or Kuran would finally sense their presence and go away soon enough.

Almost as if answering Zero's thoughts, Kaname pulled back from the hunter and clucked his tongue in disappointment. Swiftly like before, Kaname walked to the opened window, casting one last glance at Zero's barely covered, still form and sighed heavily.

_I guess I'll just come back later_, the pureblood thought and jumped down. Zero however, was having a particularly difficult time stopping the imaginary tears as he called after Kaname to come back and relieve him. _Come back, please come back..._

Throughout the past few years, Zero had been sure that he would live a life of celibacy and even his hormones had agreed with him. Although when he needed them to be on his side the most, the traitorous toxins had decided to side with Kaname Bloody Kuran! How unfair was that?

* * *

><p>Kaname's mind was a jumbled up mess as he leisurely made his way to the dorms. Zero Kiryuu clouded his every thought. Zero, who had previously kept on defying his superiority and treating him like a piece of garbage had slept with him once out of his own free will. Hell the boy even succeeded in seducing him!<p>

_Would I be interested in Kiryuu the same way I am now had he showered me with attention and respect from the beginning which my status demands?_ He asked himself and then imagined what probably would have happened if Zero were to be as afraid of him as the other vampires, but the images forming in his mind did not please him. If Kiryuu Zero was to be anything but obedient, fearful, a hopeless romantic, only then would he remain that all famous Kiryuu with killing looks whom even a few of the Night Class students admired, otherwise, he was just one of the many people standing in the crowd.

Kaname shook his head. Why was his mind defending the hunter whom he not so despised at the moment?

"Zero…" The word left his mouth in a longing sigh, feelings of happiness, anger, remorse and humour washed over him, all at once.

"I guess did indeed bite you last night, and the bittersweet being I feel in me is you…" Kaname chuckled lightly and no later he was laughing aloud, probably the first time in his life.

"Oh my my, Zero…" The Kuran prince kept on repeating the name as if he would feel something different inside of him which really was happening. Every time he called on to the hunter, he would feel slight warmth spread throughout his body and a feeling of joy wash over him.

At the moment, he could care less about what anyone thought of him. Kiryuu Zero was an odd creature who had managed to force his way into Kaname's heart and build an ice castle inside. The colder it was, the hotter_ it_ got.

In a far area, Kaname could feel the other school guardian, busy talking to the very girl he did not want to see beside Zero, Sayori Wakaba.

"Wakaba-san, mind me asking where are you going this late after curfew time? Return to your dorm immediately before I put you in detention." He heard Akio Kazuhiko stern voice questioning the girl.

"Kazuhiko-kun! Please wait! I really need to talk to Yuuki Kuran!" The surprised yelp of the usually quiet girl and then her mentioning Yuuki's name caught Kaname's complete attention and he stopped in his tracks to hear what she was going to say.

"And why is that so?" The Prefect asked her but there came no reply. Kaname impatiently waited for her to answer but it seemed that she wasn't going to.

"Don't even think about running, I can easily outrun you." Again the prefect's voice rang in his ears, but no later he stopped feeling her presence near, indicating that she had left.

Pondering over what business the girl might have with his sister, Kaname entered the Moon Dorms though no later his mind was again focused on the hunter and his health, both mental and physical. Mental because of the reason why Zero was returning his acts of affection (or was it lust?) and physical because the boy had apparently just fainted.

He wanted to go and check on the silverette again, probably get to finish what he started, but the thought of touching him in the presence of the older hunters was not really that appealing.

"However, I can surely send Yuuki to check on him…" He mumbled, accounting in for factors he had missed previously.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_**I know the characters are OOC even by the story's standards, but the thing which Zero is suffering from is withdrawal symptoms caused by unavailability of one's twin. My twin and I experience it whenever one of us is on a holiday and the other isn't. I hope you guys enjoyed it, I tried to update as fast as I could since I have to spend the next few days working on a two one-shots as a graduation gift for my twin. (Both of our brains went to her alone apparently). Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter. **


	8. The Rat's Trap

_**Chapter 8: The Rat's Trap**_

"So you want me to go? Why?" She asked the pureblood prince when he mentioned his need for her to check on Zero.

"He didn't show up for patrolling duties today." Kaname answered as vaguely as possible.

"He's probably just snoring away somewhere as we talk." She argued, concealing her real intention of asking the question.

"Yuuki... Just this once, for me." Kaname tried working the charm on her, which once did marvels, but now, he knew it wasn't quite that helpful.

Outwardly beaming with joy on being requested thus by the Kaname Kuran himself, Yuuki faked a cheerful 'Yes Kaname Oni-sama' and walked out of the room. Her smile was replaced by a knowing, conniving look as soon as she was out of the Moon Dorms.

_So naive, that boy. Sulking like a_ _little child... tsk, __tsk, tsk_… She looked at the dark night sky, an indecipherable smile forming on her lips.

_To think that you're the chosen one, what a joke. _She snorted, thinking of all the ways she could make _him_ beg for her affection. Of all the ways she could trample on his heart.

With malicious thoughtsclouding her mind, she reached Zero's room, fixing her best innocent and worried look on her face.

"Hey… how are you doing?" Yuuki walked into the hunter's room, internally glad to see the view in front of her whilst her face portrayed nothing, but worry. _You're nothing without me Kiryuu Zero..._

Zero was lying on his bed, looking unnaturally pale. Morbid amethyst eyes showed that she had Zero just where she wanted, helpless and hopeless. Someone who was only worth the tears he shed. Her keen eyes roamed around the room as she turned the lights on. Zero's room was one place she never had the opportunity of infiltrating. It was almost like his heart, closed and gloomy.

"Zero what's wrong?" She walked closer to him and went to the chair placed close to his bed. _Cross or Yagari-sensei probably left,_ she thought as she sat down and ruffled his hair with her hand, concern colouring her gaze. The hunter's lilac eyes never left her the whole time. They held an accusatory look.

* * *

><p><em>Kuran sure likes to work fast, <em>Zero thought as he fixed his eyes on Yuuki's form. To the untrained eye, she was the epitome of motherly affection and love, whereas for someone who actually knew her as well as Zero did, she was a born actress, with the guts of a professional one to boot.

He knew this for a fact that if he wasn't careful enough, he might just play right into the palm of her hand, especially without the guidance of his slightly mentally twisted brother. Having not really planned the flow of the conversation beforehand, Zero asked the first question which crossed his mind. In Yuuki's mind, he was probably just a naive child and he was fine being just that. _Who knows what a crazed woman is capable of, knowing her opponent is better than her? _

"You knew... then why? Why would you let this happen to me Yuuki?" Unshed tears shone in his eyes. He had to blink a lot for that to happen and of course, the bottle of fake tear drops hidden beneath his pillow had helped considerably.

"I am sorry Zero, I did not know it would go this far. I really truly am sorry. Is there any way I can make it up to you? I promise I'll do my best." She grabbed his hand and kissed it, she too was looking on the verge of tears. At this, Zero resisted the childish urge to shout evil demon cooties, a habit that had once again, developed from the lack of mental exposure to his brother.

Somewhere along the way growing up with his twin, he had started depending a lot on Ichiru for his mental stability. There was a time when such actions called forth the urge to declare bloody murder on the other party, but with lots of help from his well-wishers, he was able to tone it down such childish responses.

"Ask Cross to let me go. I don't want to stay here anymore." He fixed his stare out the window, into the endless darkness. He had always heard that if one ignores a nightmare to the best of their abilities, they disappear after some time. He was sincerely hoping this one would too disappear on its own and he wouldn't have to dirty his hands with her.

As far as the remark was concerned, he had said it in the chill of the moment, considering it was Yuuki he was talking to. He just wanted to know note her reaction to all this. If Yuuki had done what he mentally accused her of doing knowingly, she would definitely slip knowing her target was escaping right from her hands, and slip she did.

"I can't do that Zero, I won't let you go away. You can't do this. Think about Cross for once. Ever wonder what will happen to him? Huh? Did you ever think about him for once? He has kept you with him all these years and worked so hard to make a family we lost and he never could have?"

"Yu-ki…" He opened his mouth to say something smartass, but she cut him off in mid sentence. Although he was a bit glad later that he kept his mouth shut, otherwise, who knew what would have slipped from it.

"Don't, don't you dare talk to me! This one little thing happens to you and you go with the 'I'm leaving crap'. For once Zero think about someone other than yourself. Throughout the past four years you spend with them, you've never made him feel happy about his decision of taking you in his care. Wait… you know what, on a second thought, you really should leave Cross to himself and his loneliness and come back with a loser tag on your head. At least that is better for him rather than thinking that one day you will get over our horrendous past and live a life our parents wanted us to. And In case you aren't aware of this, our parents had assigned Cross as our legal guardian if anything were to happen to them. Just because he acts the way he does around you, it doesn't mean that he really is like that. He only makes a fool out of himself because he wants to see you smile. Such a ridiculous wish since Zero Kiryuu is so neck deep in his mission to settle scores his way, right?"

After her little awe-inspiring speech, Yuuki just stood up and left, knowing she had hit the homerun. Despite everything, Yuuki had come to the conclusion that in his own way, Zero respected Chairman Cross a lot and possibly cared for him too. Although she herself could not fathom why considering she thought she had deduced the level of the man's stupidity according to the best of her knowledge a long time ago.

She didn't even cast a fleeting glance at Zero behind her, thinking that her work here was done. Had she, she would've seen the Cheshire cat-like grin spreading on Zero's face.

_Hook, line and sinker_, Zero thought victoriously. He had Yuuki exactly where he wanted her. There was no way he was letting this golden chance slip by him, he would get what he deserved through and through this time.

"Pfft! She didn't even bother changing Ichiru's words even by a fraction. To think I thought of her as a formidable opponent. Utterly ridiculous." Zero snorted as he got up from his bed and walked over to the door after a few minutes of Yuuki's departure. He placed a few well versed charms on the door for silence and protection and then on the window as well.

A couple of weeks ago, Ichiru had given him the exact same lecture when he was being an 'ungrateful brat' and whining about the difficulties of life at the Cross Academy. To think that Yuuki had the guts to tap his calls was enough to amuse Zero to day's end.

_I'll particularly enjoy leading you to your death bed Kuran Yuuki. It was exceptionally fun knowing you..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__I tried to update as fast as I could, so if there were any grammatical errors, I deeply apologize for them. I hope this shows a bit of Yuuki's thought process and her possible intentions regarding the boys and I'm sorry if I've offended anyone by making Yuuki's character like this._

_Apart from this, a bundle of thanks for the reviews and favourites and alerts dear readers, they make me really happy and encourage me to post faster. So, please review and tell me what you think of the revised version of this story. And one more thing, I need a good beta-reader for this story, if anyone knows someone or is him/herself willing to help me, please do so. It'll be highly appreciated. Thank you for your time, until next time! _


	9. Wonders of Seclusion

_**Chapter 9: Wonders of Seclusion**_

The concoction Yuuki managed to brew, it would have taken her quite some time to do it. It wasn't one of those 'spur of the moment' potions. This was the conclusion which Zero had reached after hours of meticulous research.

The girl knew exactly what she was playing with and for someone with her mental capabilities; Zero congratulated her for even knowing that a potion of such sort existed. It was the one used by higher level vampires, particularly purebloods to _educate_ the lower level vampires. It didn't end at purebloods alone, it was something a hunter was proficient in brewing, more so than a vampire. A high level hunter, with immense knowledge of Vampire Taming.

It brought out particularly satisfying results and was one of its kind. For every vampire, it surfaced their deepest and darkest fears. It was an impulse serum of sorts. For higher level vampires, a significantly high amount was used to retain the affects for a specific time period whereas, for lower level vampires, a minute quantity was injected on regular time intervals for the best possible results.

Just knowing the way the drug worked, Zero was able to conjure up a probable scenario in his mind of what Yuuki would've wanted to achieve.

To the best of Yuuki's knowledge, his worst fear was to succumb to the bloodlust every vampire felt and drop to Level E, lose control of himself to his animalistic side. For Kuran, it might've been the same, lusting after the blood of creature with a beating heart, betraying everything he believed in and preached; Coexistence of humans and vampires.

The question which arose in his mind after all this was, why? Why would someone like Yuuki want to do that? If it was just him, he had a clue of sorts, but with Kuran in the equation, he couldn't solve it.

If he had by any chance fallen to Level E, what would she gain by it? His headache grew with each passing minute of unanswered silence. Now knowing that Yuuki was indeed somehow aware of almost everything which he and Ichiru talked about, Zero did not want to contact Ichiru right away and risk his and his brother's life's secrets.

Angered and tired, Zero decided that retiring for the day would be best considering that the brain's cognitive responses tended to be slower than usual when overworked constantly. Thus, without a second thought, Zero fell back on his bed and was asleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

><p>"<em>Why can't we be just like Otou-san and Oka-san?"<em>

_._

_._

_..._

"_That's unfair... Oni-sama is mine only!"_

_._

_._

_..._

"_But he does not like him at all!"_

* * *

><p>Zero woke up with a start. Mind still groggy from the sleep, he failed to make out the people in his dream accurately.<p>

He could remember hearing a girl's voice complaining. He remembered seeing the pale finger pointing at himself and then at the brown haired boy who stood beside him, thus clearing part of his confusion that he had either been viewing it from a third person objective or from someone else's point of view.

"Ugh..." He held his head tightly in his hand, the sudden wave of pain startling him. His mouth filled with the vile aftertaste of blood; blood that was not his own, and certainly not Kaname's. It was bitter; he could almost taste the malicious intent in it. The hunger, the yearn for something greater. Feelings of hurt, the need to hurt, to overpower, to overcome, to possess, to devour completely, distrust... to _educate_...

Zero sat up straight like a bolt and got out of bed, almost falling in the process. Haphazardly running around in his room, he went from book to book in which he had collected information throughout the years about anything and everything around him.

Frantically going through each notebook, Zero growled in anger, throwing the pages containing useless information around the room. It was frustrating, not knowing. It wasn't just a dream. It was Not just a dream...

"I've been there and I know who that other child is dammit!" He smashed his fist on the writing table, the wood crumbling due to the force of the impact.

"_That's unfair... Oni-sama is mine only!" _

_Mine Only! _ The words echoed in his mind and then it clicked, making him lose composure in relief. Noticing his haggard condition, Zero stifled a laugh.

_Why didn't I think of it sooner? It is so very obvious!_ He snarled at his own inadequacy and stood up, holding onto the abused table for support.

"Not only now, you've been a thorn in my side from the very beginning Kuran Yuuki." Zero diverted his complete attention to remembering his first encounter with Yuuki which involved blood, the first time he had taken her blood.

"I sincerely hope I didn't catch anything from drinking that harpy's blood. I don't want to die young..." Zero sighed melodramatically, fixing himself.

* * *

><p>The bane of his existence, Kuran Yuuki, had once again managed to somehow weasel her way into his life again, having serious issues with minding her own business.<p>

"Oh Kami, give me the strength not to eviscerate the runt today." He held his hands up in a semblance of prayer and said 'Amen' before returning to his findings. But even he had to admit that with her around, the concept of good and evil, love and hatred, pleasure and torture, it started to have a deeper meaning than ever.

Zero had to admit it to himself at least; this seclusion was working better for him than anything else. He could be himself all day and no one would stare at him wrongly. He could smile, laugh, snort, lay back all he wanted without people thinking that he had lost it. It finally felt nice to be rid of the unappealing scowl.

"The things you do for love..." He sighed, continuing his search through different notebooks albeit in a more organized manner now.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining blindingly outside, irritating the living daylights out of him. He had been up from the past 28 hours going through pages and pages filled with his musings and as of yet, he did not come across a reason good enough for Yuuki to act the way she did.<p>

He was tired. He was irritated. He felt the dire need to suddenly make out with Kuran and he was officially, losing his mind.

"Get a grip on yourself Kiryuu!" Zero scolded himself and walked over to the small, attached bathroom. Lately, his mood swings were taking a turn for the worst, making it close to impossible for him to fully concentrate on anything for that matter. Just like the one the previous morning, he suffered from untimely migraines which left him drained. Obscured images assaulted his senses. Images which were unfamiliar, yet felt like a part of his very being, which concurred feelings of extreme discontent.

On the fourth night, the answer literally hit him in the form of a book from the shelf falling on his head. It wasn't that the book contained anything note worthy in his current situation, it just helped him get some of his lost common sense back.

If Kiryuu Zero dropped to Level E, than as the highest ranking vampire present, Kuran Kaname would deal with him personally. To prevent Zero from drinking Kaname's blood to douse his growing thirst, Yuuki had made Kaname drink the concoction too. This would in turn, rouse Kaname's survival instinct, thus he would kill Kiryuu Zero by draining him without making anyone suspicious of his own condition and harming his flawless -on the surface- reputation. It was killing two stones with one bird; getting rid of Zero and making Kaname her alone.

It was difficult to come to this conclusion, but seeing the results, Zero was starting to feel a bit of respect towards Yuuki and her partner. Finally, they were past petty games and began the all out war.

Things will get interesting starting tomorrow, Zero thought as he slipped under the covers. The prospect of a night's peaceful sleep too tempting to pass up.


	10. Limited Sanity

_**A/N:** Sorry for the late reply, but this might occur a lot now since my college reopened and I'll be a bit busy hereafter. Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter and the favourites and alerts. I hope you like this chapter too, please review and tell me what you think of it. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Chapter 10: Limited Sanity<strong>_

_I'll have you by your thumbs if that's the last thing I do, _was the first thought which came to his mind after he woke up, surprisingly in a very good mood. Going through his daily routine within record time, the hyped up teen was left with enough time to properly button up his shirt and tuck it inside his pants as they should be. After brushing his hair, he cast one last glance at the mirror he had never bothered to look into before going to his classes, and made his way outside the confinements of his room after five days, remembering to wipe out the sinister smile from his face in case he frightened anyone.

"Good morning Chairman." He greeted the old hunter standing in the kitchen busy making breakfast. Having promised himself to act a little more respectfully towards the ex-hunter, Zero pulled a chair at the dining table quietly and without making any faces to show his annoyance on not being able to cook the breakfast himself, began eating.

"Good morning Kiryuu-kun." The answer was short and without any smile that the hunter was used to seeing by now. This shocked Zero a bit who now focused his complete attention to the older man. He noticed quite a change in the man's demeanour . Cross Kaein was not wearing the hideous pink apron he always did and his hair which used to be tied up in a messy bun were now braided neatly. He wasn't even wearing the usual pyjamas he wore, resulting in an increase in Zero's worry. Remembering Ichiru's words from all those nights ago, Zero felt that he owed Chairman Cross an apology for his behaviour. It was true that the ex-hunter sometimes behaved in an extremely cheerful manner that he wasn't used to still, and that Cross wanted to be called 'papa' by him, but that didn't mean he had to act rudely with especially since he was the one who had imposed himself on them.

"Cross-san, I am deeply sorry for every insult that I have passed on you in the past four years and every time that I punched, kicked or ignored you or broke your personal belongings. I am sure that my parents thought well of you to entrust us in your care if anything were to happen to them. I am anything, but not ungrateful and you must know that despite everything which I say, I truly respect you both as a senior hunter and my caretaker. I wanted to leave because I couldn't carry on this façade for long and I missed my brother greatly. It had nothing to do with your behaviour towards me; it has always been extremely gratifying."

Zero apologized in an extremely formal manner; his head bowed low and tone not giving away his personal feelings regarding the matter.

"Kiryuu-kun, is everything alright?" The confused yet happy Chairman asked, putting away the bowl of pancake mix for the time being.

"I won't mind if you'd call me by my first name, after all, who else do I have here to call family?" The ex-human joked, holding back the tears threatening to fall any moment. There were moments when this man reminded him awfully a lot of his mother and this was one of them. From the way Cross Kaein stood to the style he braided his honey coloured hair, everything reminded him of his deceased mother.

"You are forgetting Ichiru-kun, consider what'll happen if I tell him that." Cross Kaein replied to lighten up the mood and Zero chuckled. It was true after all, his beloved twin would for sure wail until Zero would be on his knees and apologising to the other spoiled Kiryuu.

"And anyway, he has been constantly calling and texting me from the past few days that he feels that we are hiding something from him and that that his sixth sense tells him that you are in trouble or something of the sort. Will you please contact him and tell him that you indeed are fine?" The older hunter said as he moved towards the stove and resumed making breakfast.

"Hmm, I'll do that first. Excuse me." Zero replied and walked outside, switching on his mobile. He was half surprised to see all the missed calls and the messages in there. He began going through them one by one thinking that it might take him a whole day to get this job done.

_**Hey Zero Ni-chan!  
>How are you? You haven't contacted me in sooo long; you are such a meanie :'(<strong>_

After reading the first message, Zero smiled inwardly. His one of a kind, younger twin was always a worry wart when it concerned him, so much so, that sometimes Zero felt like the younger one. Ichiru was supposedly evil, but then again every evil character had a weakness which the hero exploits to get rid of him and Zero knew that he was Ichiru's.

Skipping all of the messages sent on the same date, Zero moved on to the last message of the next day.

_**Ni-chan? Where are you? You haven't called me back or replied to any of messages! Are you alright?**_

He could now clearly sense his twin's worry over the message and it was just the typed ones that he was going over now_. I still have twenty, no thirty voice messages to go through_, he thought and sighed, moving on to the next day.

_**Real funny Zero. Where the hell are you? Why can't you just pick up this damned piece of toy you like carrying around!**_

_Hmmm… seems like my not so intentional cold shoulder really worried you Ichiru_. He lightly chuckled, thinking of it as payback for that lecture a few days ago and skipped on to the next day's messages.

_**Zero you swine, go drown in the river! I am never talking to you again! Ever!**_

_Hit a nerve there didn't we? It was only the… fourth day. _Zero counted the number of days on his finger tips and chuckled thinking of a suitable reply to it.

_**Ni-chan it's no longer funny. Where are you? Why aren't you picking up my calls? I swear I am coming to Japan if you don't contact me within this day!**_

Ah! Finally something dated for today. Zero left the other messages sent within two hours since morning and the voice mails to check later and dialled the all too familiar number of Ichiru's mobile phone.

_**"**__**It's Too Late To Say You're Sorry - You're Sorry  
>It's Too Late To Say That Time Will Tell<br>Go To Hell, Bye Bye  
>Go To Hell, It's Too Late To Cry<br>Go To Hell, Bye Bye  
>Cause You Let Our Fire Die-"<strong>_

Surprise wasn't even the word that described how Zero felt at the moment. Wasn't it the other day that his contact tone was something that went like _'I love you always forever, near and far closer together everywhere I will be with you everything I will do for you'_?

"Zdrastvooyte Ichiru. Kak pazhivayesh?"

Zero began in a really friendly tone, careful to not use their native language or English. Zero greeting Ichiru in Russian only meant one thing, someone whom he didn't want to know what they were talking about, was near. Catching up on this fact quickly, Ichiru himself resorted to talking in Russian, a language they both had learned as kids.

"**Zero I really meant it when I said 'go drown in a river'. Why the hell weren't you answering your phone?"** Zero knew that Ichiru was extremely annoyed at the moment, judging by his tone. If there was one thing he did not like, it was being ignored.

"Relax, I was just facing a pest control problem." He sighed, running a hand through his silky hair, his eyes constantly on the lookout for any presence near him. Not everyone knew he was in contact with Ichiru and just because they were talking in another language wasn't enough of a safety measure.

"**Why?"** Ever interested in his older twin's affairs, Ichiru asked, slightly amused.

"When you work on limited sanity that tends to happen and the pests are insufferable as always." A huff and he chuckled.

"**There is no thing as limited sanity or even sanity at all in your case."** Ichiru said, pointing at Zero's abnormal train of thought.

"Sorry, but not all of us can be sane. I have to live by what little sanity or according to you, insanity that I have. So?" As far as he knew, Ichiru was as selfish as he was clever and since he had been bugging Cross a lot more than normal, something must have been troubling him.

"**So what?"**

"What was it that you wanted to talk to me about? You aren't that worried about me without a particular reason." It wasn't exactly true, but with the way Ichiru's mind worked normally, it wasn't a farfetched shot. He might care about Zero more like a father than a brother, but the deep rooted evil inside him was hard to ignore.

"**Can't a brother just be concerned? You hurt me so Ni-chan."** Despite the fake voice in which Ichiru said it, Zero could sense the underlying hurt and it suddenly made him annoyed at himself and his big mouth, so he tried to clear away the uncomfortable air by joking.

"Oh come one, we all know how much of a concern you are capable of showing."

"**I wanted to know if you are doing well and good, just that."**

"We-ll... it's safe to say that things are really heating up a notch here and you would really enjoy visiting, but not too soon if you may. It might not work well for me and my rodent. Speaking of whom, I'll talk to you later."

"**Hm? Yeah, sure. We'll talk later, but for heaven's sake, don't shut off your phone now! It's really annoying talking to your answering machine. And change that message as well!"**

"Sure, why not. Anything for my love, light of my life, apple of my-" The phone disconnected after a particularly unique curse by Ichiru and Zero shook with silent laughter.

_Not all of us can be sane, eh? Well, here comes one seriously mentally deranged one, _Zero thought as he saw Yuuki make her way towards him.


	11. Frustrations Ahoy!

_**Chapter 11: Frustrations Ahoy!**_

_Not all of us can be sane, eh? Well, here comes one seriously mentally deranged one_, Zero thought as he saw Yuuki make her way towards him. Fixing on his best game face, Zero stood up and wiped his uniform pants, his mouth open in slight surprise and eyes showing absolute mock gratitude. This was the most he could express given the fact that he had not anticipated Yuuki's sudden arrival.

"I am thankful to you for knocking some sense into me that day and I am really glad you did that too." He mentally grimaced at the words that left his mouth, feeling the need to gargle again before having breakfast. Talking to Yuuki always left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. _And to think that people think that all I want to do is lock lips with her… Yuck!_

"Zero…" Yuuki herself was shell shocked. She knew that she might have some kind of an effect on Zero, especially after her speech, but to think that 'The Zero Kiryuu' would apologize to her made her feel giddy from the inside.

"I promise you that as long as that brother of yours will keep his distance from me and refrain from making any move on me, I will stay and perform my duties to the best of my efforts, may they be as a school prefect, friend or a son. And I am sorry for hurting you that day too, so please forgive me." Zero said in a low voice, looking anywhere and everywhere except for Yuuki's face.

_No, no… Noooo! Sayonara pride… _His overreacting, mental chibi fell on his knees in despair at the sure ridiculousness of the situation. Not waiting for her answer, Zero ran back to the kitchen, picked up two pancakes from his plate and stuffing one of them in his mouth, he grabbed his bag with the free hand and left for morning patrol duty. After all, today was a very beautiful day in itself, despite the face he had seen so early in the morning.

* * *

><p>Kuran Kaname waited patiently for Kiryuu Zero to come and meet him, but the silverette didn't. Zero's behaviour was indeed very frustrating as the pureblood could not concentrate on anything which didn't involve a specific silver haired teen and this aggravated the said pureblood to no end.<p>

Kaname was lost in his own thoughts when the door opened with a loud bang and in came his younger sister, tears staining her face. Before he could register what was happening, Yuuki hugged him tightly.

_I'm sorry Kaname, but whatever that is about to happen, is for the best of all of us… for me, _she thought and looked at the pureblood with teary eyes.

Looking at her expression, Kaname was almost afraid to ask what happened. It wasn't every day that he saw Yuuki this sorrowful about anything in life. He slowly stroked her hair until the young girl regained her composure, enough to tell her brother about the gist of Zero's decision to get the matter done with quickly once and for all, internally jumping in ecstasy.

"I see…" After hearing everything, Kaname only said this. He dismissed the young Kuran princess, asking her not to worry for he himself would make sure that everything went fine. After all, subduing Zero was his challenge and he would see it to the end. Whether or not Zero wanted to be with him was not a question left for discussion. Kaname Kuran got what he wanted, when he wanted, and there wasn't anyone born yet to say no to him.

After almost a week of that incident, he heard that the ex-human had started attending his classes again, which surprised him as he had not seen the silver haired guardian at the time of the changeover. For this, he asked the brunette princess to see further into the matter when she finally decided to come clean to him, thinking that now would be the perfect time to put her next plan into motion.

"Oni-Sama, Zero said and I quote 'as long as that brother of yours will keep his distance from me and refrain from making any move on me, I will stay and perform my duties to the best of my efforts'. I did not tell this to you because I felt that it would hurt you. Since you are in this situation because of me, I am willing to take responsibility…" _And will make sure that he himself comes to you with open arms, _was what Kaname read in her words although she most definitely did not say and mean those words.

"Yuuki you…" He wanted to say that she should not further interfere but he couldn't. Maybe, just maybe she would be able to get them together; he thought and nodded his head.

"Thank you. I really appreciate your concern." He lightly patted her head and moved out of his room to assemble by the dorm's gates for the class changeover.

* * *

><p>The weather from the past few days had been windy and the sky covered in thick rain clouds. He assumed that tonight all hell would break loose and it would rain heavily. As per habit, his gaze wandered the area noticing the absence of his hunter. <em>Humph, is this his way of performing his duties to the fullest?<em> Kaname thought and walked ahead of everyone, completely ignoring his fans.

He sighed, bracing himself for another tedious day, ignoring the urge to slam his head on his desk. After all, he had to maintain his image as a pureblood.

It was with commendable self control that Kaname sat through all of his lectures. He was seated in his usual seat beside the window when he saw a flicker of silver hair shining in the darkness of the night. He wanted to go and grab the hunter and have his way with him, but considering that his image in front of the teachers had been deteriorating lately, he decided to remain seated and patiently wait for the schooling hours to end.

When finally they did end, Kaname walked out of the classroom before everyone else could even move. His gaze wandered, but the only being he saw with a white sash wrapped around his upper arm was the other school prefect, Akio Kazuhiko. This annoyed the pureblood a great deal and he took it on himself to talk to the hunter by any means now. He couldn't play the part of the good guy forever.

"What is your business in this place Vampire?" Akio asked, the Artemis in his hand ready to attack Kaname. The pureblood arched a perfect brow, no hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Step aside Kazuhiko-kun; believe me you don't want to deal with an angered pureblood." Kaname said as he kept on walking towards the Sun Dorm.

"Kuran, it was Kiryuu's request that you should not be allowed anywhere near him until he himself comes to see you." The redhead told him about the other prefect's unusual request.

Kaname stared at the hunter standing in front of him for a few moments before retreating to his room. He was going to make sure Zero paid for ignoring him, which Zero actually was, despite what others thought.

This sudden infatuation with the pureblood and his body were the only reason which prompted Zero to take such drastic measures and run away from Kaname. Considering, he himself wasn't sure of what he would do to or with Kuran the next time they crossed paths.

* * *

><p>It was dark and cold, not to mention pouring. Of course he had already predicted it, but the thought of being tied down by the weather still unnerved him. His insomniac state wasn't doing him much good either as even the faintest of chances that he might shut his eyelids and try sleeping were fading, and rolling in bed continuously changing sides was not helping much. He sighed, getting up all together. His attempts at falling asleep were going in vain.<p>

Getting uncharacteristically annoyed by such a thing, he walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains, observing the scene in front of him. Night sky was filled with rain clouds, the heavy downpour wetting everything in sight. Branches and leaves swaying with the pressure of the wind painted artistic scenery, and had he not been in such a foul mood, he would've enjoyed it all very much.

Sitting on the slightly damp window sill, he fixed his gaze on the falling rain drops though his eyes noticed nothing in particular. He uncrossed his arms and slowly stretched his right hand, letting the raindrops wet it when a strong scent hit him. It was both sweet and intoxicating. Nothing like he had smelled before but everything that clouded his senses. It was the scent of blood, not specifically of a human, or a vampire, or any other being… it was a scent he wasn't quite familiar with but he knew for sure to whom it belonged to, for the scent was undoubtedly of the hunter's blood… His hunter's blood.

The wine orbs slowly glowed crimson, the scent getting to him more than he had anticipated. He wondered just what kind of a game fate was playing with him, toying with his emotions and thirst like this. He waited for a few moments to let it subside, but that didn't happen. Concerned, his thoughts shifted to the silver haired hunter, coming up with a possible scenario for what might have happened. Zero had been injured, that much he was sure of. But the question that arouse here was how? He knew of none Level- E's which were at the moment present in the academy vicinity and his acute vampire senses couldn't detect danger anywhere near him as well. Intrigued to find out what happened with Zero, he leapt out of the window, landing on the wet grass smoothly and gracefully. Following the intoxicating scent, he sprinted towards where he assumed the hunter would be and indeed he was, caring neither about his bare feet and partially undressed state, now wet too.

He stopped shortly as he neared the small hill on the academy grounds. Even with the rain slightly clouding his vision, he could clearly see a figure dressed in a drenched white shirt and black pants, the shirt at the moment being as good as nothing since it clung to the person's body like a second skin. The uniform coat was discarded on the ground near him as he stood facing the tree, probably trying to shield himself from the rain.

He took in a deep breath and the scent of fresh blood oozing out of a possible wound hit him full force. The crimson orbs brightened and the previous annoyance replaced itself with a predatory gleam as they fixed on the unaware prey. In one swift stride, he lessened the distance between himself and the heavenly goodness.

"Zero…"

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><p>He could not even believe himself at this point. The sheer absurdity of what he was about to do was constantly nagging him, but he was ignoring it to the best of his abilities. It was a unanimous decision by his conscious, subconscious and even the unconscious part of his brain that he had officially lost it and big time at that.<p>

"Don't care in the least…" He muttered to no one in particular and took off his shoes and socks, throwing both of them away at some distance. Removing his coat, he threw it on the ground in a heap and broke off a part of a small branch from the tree he was leaning against. With extra care, he stabbed his hand with the sharp end of it, adjusting his hand in the manner where it would hurt the least.

Even though his healing wasn't hundred percent at the moment, it was enough to stop the bleeding in a few minutes. To prevent that from happening, he kept the piece of wood firmly attached to his palm, letting fresh blood ooze out of the wound freely. Zero knew that the scent would entice Kaname enough to come running to him and then have his wicked way with him until he couldn't tell left from right. In case other vampires came before Kuran did, Zero thought that flashing his gun would do the job until the pureblood himself arrived.

Only a few seconds later, Zero felt the unmistakable aura wrap around him, arousing him even more. The wooden piece fell from his hand on the ground with an almost inaudible thud as a shiver ran down his spine. He could feel Kaname's heated gaze on his back, feel his growing hunger as it were his own.

"Zero…." His breath stopped hearing his name in that husky tone. Kaname's body was pressed firmly to his back, his bleeding hand in Kaname's slightly bigger ones.

Kaname wasted no time in latching his mouth to the deep cut on Zero's hand, swirling his tongue about the gash. The pureblood let out an animalistic growl as it began healing, his saliva having quickened the process. Rather roughly, Kaname turned Zero around and pushed him such that he was held captive between his own highly aroused body and the tree.

"Kana- Kuran! Let go of me!" Zero said with clenched teeth, amethyst eyes hidden behind wet silver bangs. Even if it was just for appearances, Zero needed to show some hesitance, even though his blood was soaring right now, in the wrong direction.

As Zero had already anticipated and wished, Kaname completely ignored his comment, harshly pulling his silver tresses to the side. Without another minute of contemplation, Kaname sunk his itching fangs in Zero's awaiting skin. The warm blood sliding down the pureblood's throat heightened his aroused state. _Was there anything about this person which failed to drive him insane?_ Kaname asked himself, but in his heart and mind, he had known the answer for quite long.

Zero's blood tasted beyond divine, it overwhelmed Kaname for a moment as he drank greedily from the sensitive neck before him, unable to control the surging flow of delicious blood which had a slight sugary and floral undertone to it, unlike any that he drank before. It was the elixir which even made his pure sacred blood taste runny like water. Had he not been so engrossed in pleasure, he would've felt the immense power running in the veins of Zero. He would've felt intense emotions unlike any other and would have seen the victorious gleam in the bright amethyst eyes, but Kaname was far too intoxicated to notice any of these things. Such was the effect of Zero's blood on him. The pureblood extracted his fangs from the pale neck when he felt that he had taken enough from the hunter to satiate his thirst for the time being, licking the twin wounds clean before looking straight in the violet eyes.

"Kuran, snap out of-" The hunter's forced sentence was cut short by the mesmerizing glint in Kaname's eyes. Zero instantly looked away, feeling the heat of Kaname's gaze burning his body. The warm chocolate brown colour of the pureblood's eyes had returned, but the lust pooling inside the chocolate orbs was really hard to miss. Kaname licked his lips hungrily as Zero's face flushed and he averted his gaze.

And in that moment of hypnotism, mostly by the hunter's exquisite display of beauty, Kaname lowered Zero on the wet grass and hovered above him, kissing the feared hunter before he had a chance to push him away.

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><p><em>(<strong>AN**: I'm really sorry for the late update, but as I said before, college is killing me with the work load. I did this chapter in a hurry because something is seriously wrong with my laptop and it doesn't allow me to use it for more than an hour or so without going berserk and deleting or editing or opening new data from hell knows where. So, if there was anything in this chapter that doesn't sense and belong in some place, please forgive me and kindly point it out. That'll be really helpful. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well, please leave a review, they make me ecstatic!)_


	12. Do Me Now, I'll Deal With You Later

**_(A/N: _**_Thank you for the review(s), favourites and alerts! __I wanted to update the story while I had the time, so any of you who think the update was too fast for your liking, I'm sorry! The next chapter will probably be uploaded in a few hours or probably tomorrow. Since I'm trying to finish this story before 2014, I' might upload a few chapters on the same date which would be whenever I'll get the time to type. Sorry for the long ramblings, on to the story now. I hope you enjoy this part as well and please leave a review!**)**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 12: Do Me Now, I'll Deal With You Later<strong>_

The soft lips, pink like the inner petals of a blushing white rose turned slowly red as the pureblood ravished them mercilessly. The amethyst orbs widened in fear and slight anticipation upon acknowledging the pureblood's intentions but Zero found himself paralyzed under the intense gaze.

Kaname's lips moved on his with urgency, his hands touching every inch of the silverette's skin he could. Kaname bit Zero's lower lip hard enough to extract blood and used the momentary distraction to force his tongue inside Zero's mouth. Taking his time to explore the unexplored cavern of the others mouth, Kaname gave an opportunity to his hands to roam on the cold, pale skin.

If it wasn't for the need to breath, Kaname would have never pulled back, but even that was only for a brief moment, as his lips latched onto the hunter's right earlobe, biting the soft skin, running his warm tongue on the cold metal piercing. Kaname ran a slow, deliberate line with his tongue along the outer rim of Zero's ear, stopping at the base to pull the warm flesh into his mouth. Zero shut his eyes tightly, his breathing hitched as Kaname worked his way to the tattooed skin of his neck, biting and licking the pale skin, leaving bright red marks which wouldn't go away anytime soon.

Tired of being submissive for so long, Zero pushed back Kaname enough to switch their positions. Now, being on the dominating side, the first thought that came in his mind was running away, but putting aside all rational thoughts for the time being, he proceeded on enjoying himself thoroughly. He knew that he was going to regret it, once he got down from whatever he was high on, but at the moment the shocked and unguarded look in Kaname's eyes was the only thing that mattered. A sensual smirk graced Zero features as he dipped his head to the junction on Kaname's neck and licked a path from there up to the pureblood's jaw and back.

His aroused fangs pierced Kaname's skin with an equal underlying hunger, and he moaned when warm blood spurted in his mouth. Kaname bit back moans of his own as he listened to Zero's satisfied gulps, the overwhelming sensation of Zero thrusting his hips slightly as if drinking his blood aroused him going straight to his groin.

Zero held Kaname tightly by his shoulders, ensuring that the pureblood would not be able to move once he slowly retracted his fangs, licking his lips clean. The silverette wanted to do a little exploring of his own while he had the opportunity, so, he deliberately finished the distance between their achingly aroused lower bodies and experimentally ground his hips with the other's, just to notice Kaname's reaction. Disregarding his own sharp intake of breath at the action, somewhere in his mind he locked away Kaname's expression as the body beneath his bucked up for more contact. Deciding that he loved to see the all too powerful pureblood like that, Zero unbuttoned Kaname's silk night-suit's shirt, gracing his eyes to the sight of the cream skin and the defined muscles of Kaname's abdomen. Done with the last button, Zero moved up and placed a light kiss on the pureblood's lips before resuming to the task at hand, exploring Kaname's body.

With his aroused fangs, he drew a red line across his neck, only to lick the skin clean of the blood drops. He repeated the action, going down the other's chest and past nipples, only stopping to give the pert nubs an experimental lick and bite. The low moan that now escaped the brunet's lips made him shiver but just as he was about to bite on the patch of skin below Kaname's navel, the older vampire pulled him up into a searing kiss. With one hand in the silver tresses to keep the hunter close, Kaname's other hand moved lower and lower until they reached the button of Zero's pants. Swiftly undoing the button, he pulled his hand only to rest it on Zero's back, just above his waistline. Slowly but surely, he guided his hand inside the drenched black cloth and then the hunter's boxers.

Zero's breath caught up in his throat and he moaned aloud, though the sound was muffled by Kaname's lips when cold fingers parted his firm butt cheeks and prodded at his entrance, teasing the hunter. But before they could penetrate the delicious hole, Kaname switched their position making him in controlling position again.

To Kaname, one thing was certain; he would never lose his calm posture for anyone. He wouldn't live with anyone having an upper-hand from him, having the ability to reduce him to a mess of moans and grunts except Zero. Especially after going through this experience, Kaname knew he won't even be able to get hard for anyone other than his silverette.

"As much as I enjoy this erotic sight Zero, I prefer being in control." Kaname's voice dripped honey as he whispered the words in Zero's ear, for him; there was something irresistibly hot in the idea of dominating the hunter, and before he could react, Kaname had Zero's pants resting somewhere far away from the silverette's reach. The pureblood pulled away from Zero completely now, marvelling at the beauty sprawled beneath him.

Zero laid on his back, the pale skin flushed a deep pink. Bright bite marks marred his porcelain skin and the amethyst eyes were clouded with lust, rosy lips partially bruised. His white shirt was unbuttoned and pushed back from both sides, the incandescent chest rising and falling with each intake of breath. His legs were parted and pulled up slightly, giving Kaname a wonderful view of his puckered pale pink hole, and the sweat mixed with the rain drops sliding down the pale skin. He lay on the ground bothered by neither the rain nor the rising sun hidden behind by the thick rain clouds. And it was a given that Kaname wasn't bothered by it too. It was after all only him and the hunter, whose embarrassingly loud heart beat, was his proof that he enjoyed the pureblood's antics.

After a few moments, aggravated at Kaname's lack of action, Zero tried sitting up and pulling him down but Kaname had other plans in store for him. He swiftly moved aside and pinned Zero to the ground on his stomach, his back raised high.

"Kaname-" Zero had to bite his lips to prevent the loud moan to escape from his lips as the pureblood fully parted the pale and baby smooth buttocks and sensually licked his entrance. As for Kaname, to get the same reaction he received from Zero again, he slipped his tongue inside Zero's warm heat, delighting in the soft mewls on his action. Wanting to see Zero's reaction to his antic's, Kaname pulled back and licked his lips, pushing one finger in where his tongue had been, loving the way Zero's opening tightened around the intrusion. Holding still for a few seconds, Kaname started fingering him to loosen Zero up a bit which earned him a low growl.

"Bloody hell Kaname!" Zero spoke through clenched teeth, royally annoyed at the time the other was taking for 'prepping'. Instead of replying, the pureblood complied with silverette's wish and retracted his fingers, only to press tip of his arousal against the reddened ring of muscles, cutting Zero's objections short.

The pureblood was solid hard and Zero winced a little when the tip pushed past his muscles. He took in a deep breath when the pureblood swiftly guided him the rest of the way inside, holding back nothing at all. _If Zero wants it rough, then be it_, Kaname thought as he attempted to control himself just enough to let the hunter adjust to the unfamiliar feeling before he pulled out enough that just the tip of his arousal was left inside Zero. He then thrust in, with much more force then he intended to, earning a strangled moan from the silverette. It was getting hard to control their voices any longer, both the vampires thought as Kaname hit Zero's prostrate dead on causing the hunter to move back to meet the other's rhythm. Kaname's hand slid towards Zero's neglected member and he started pumping it in time with his thrusts, finally finding their perfect rhythm.

Zero, who had never engaged in such a physical activity in his sane mind before was finding it hard to hold back his release. Being touched intimately by Kaname, both of them being in their right minds, wasn't something he deemed as this pleasurable. _The previous time didn't count_, Zero argued with himself, _because both of us were under the effect of the drug._

Watching the pureblood exert his superiority on him made Zero jittery from the inside because never before in his life had he encountered anyone who didn't cower away from him in fear and because of some other unknown reason as well which he couldn't point his finger on. The tingle in the lower pit of his stomach was burning now, indicating he was close to his release.

Zero wanted this to carry on for a little longer, loving the way their bodies moved against one another and the sound of Kaname's low growls, but he couldn't back any longer. He came first, the pleasure of his release momentarily blinding him. The circular muscles around the pureblood's length tightened as he felt Zero's climax wrap around his member and one more deep thrust was all it took to bring him over in ecstasy too.

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><p>The first streak of sunlight tainted the dark sky a slight orange. Scent of mud, fresh grass and flowers filled their nostrils; it was such a pleasant morning. It had stopped raining now, but to the hunter, it felt that the thunderstorm just began. He was lying on the wet grass beneath the very tree that witnessed all of his previous outbreaks, but he couldn't bring himself to shed a single tear now; not in front of this person anyway. He closed his eyes, once again sighing. All he could ask himself was why, why did the numbing pain in his head stop only when near Kaname? Why the meaningless dreams didn't seem so meaningless when he was with Kaname? Why he was still attracted to Kaname even though the drug was completely out of his system? He wasn't sure of any of it. Hiding his face in his hands, he thought about running away, but very well knew he couldn't. He couldn't run forever, not in his current condition at least.<p>

The atmosphere around them was thick with awkwardness and Zero knew he had to be the one to break it since Kuran looked far too peaceful for his own good. Actually when the silverette looked at it this way, it was only he who thought it to be awkward, because Kaname had a pretty content smile on his face as he lay beside him, his hands cushioning his head as he stared at the morning sky, not bothering to hide in his lair.

"Pick me up." He ordered the pureblood without really facing him. He wasn't technically proud of the fact that he was being a coward, not facing Kuran like a man, but he didn't want to look at the pureblood now, not right after they just did that. Not when his hormones were creating a havoc inside him which threatened to consume his very being.

"I beg your pardon? Did you just say something to me?" The pureblood asked, quite sure that it was his imagination.

"Pick. Me. up. And. Take. Me. To. My. Room." The hunter said, saying each word with deliberate slowness. He hated to admit it, but the pureblood was indeed very good at everything he did, because at the moment, Zero wasn't even able to move his lower half and the most annoying part of it was the he himself was the one who asked for it_. _

_Damn teenage hormones and curiosity!_ He thought. _It is a surprise that I didn't truly screamed once we were really at it_, his train of thought continued as he felt a little hope rising in him at being able to maintain what little dignity left of him. But then again, he wasn't sure if he really did nothing of such sort. Zero was busy figuring out whether he really screamed or not when Kaname scooped him up in his arms and carried the silverette to his room bridal style. Zero wanted to shout at the older male to hold him in some other style but he sure as hell did not want a piggyback ride from the likes of a leech..._a very handsome leech_, he corrected himself mentally and then face palmed himself, in reality.

Throughout the ride to Zero's room, Kaname silently chuckled at the hunter's antics, resisting the urge to push him against a wall and ravish him. The prospect of doing it in bright daylight, right when the students were about to leave for classes was highly arousing, but he had to contain himself for he wanted to win over Zero, not make the hunter's life hell for him.

As they neared the room, Kaname kicked open the door and walked in. The silverette's room was quite different from the previous time he came. The bed now placed adjacent to the window and his little bookshelf moved to where the bed previously was. Surprisingly enough, the lights were on now, not that it made much difference with his extremely sensitive vampire senses but it gave the room a whole new look, though the coldness still remained. Looking at the place, Kaname concluded that Zero needed to move to the Moon Dorms.

The lifelessness which greeted Kaname, the unwelcoming aura the room had, it made him feel gloomy despite his previous jumpy mood. At least there were those of his kind to greet him back in the Moon Dorms. If Zero and the others tried, they could get over their communication barrier too and the hunter might open up to others, get rid of the cold shell which he hid himself away in. Kaname was lost in thoughts of his own, not placing Zero down on the hard bed.

"You can put me down now." The hunter's voice brought him back to the present situation and he gently placed him on the bed, moving to stand by the foot.

"Why are you still here? Go away now!" The hunter's voice was tired and sleepy, but there was a hint of desperateness in it too. The pureblood didn't move an inch; he just stood there staring wide-eyed at the silverette.

"Kuran, please go away..." The ex-human's voice again rang in his ears, but he remained rooted on the spot. Zero moved forward a bit, caught Kaname by the collar and pulled him; with a little more force than necessary which caused them to both collide and fall back on the bed.

Amethyst eyes bore into the wine ones and Zero guided his lips to Kaname's, hungrily kissing him. Completely ignoring the unsettling pain in his back, Zero shifted their positions, with Kaname pushed underneath him. Straddling his waist, Zero undid the buttons on the black shirt, popping them halfway and discarded the wet shirt somewhere on the ground.

"Bite me!" The silverette's voice was husky and pleading, the lilac orbs dilated. The picture that the ex-human painted in front of Kaname was breathtaking. Zero sitting atop him, asking to be bitten! The older vampire's fangs were itching to cut through that thin skin. Zero gasped as aroused fangs pierced the sensitive tattooed skin on his neck, the scent of the coppery liquid filling his nostrils. The amethyst eyes widened in shock as one of Kaname's hand snaked around his waist and he squeezed the silverette's buttock and slipped his hands inside Zero's trousers.

Kaname felt a painfully hard arousal pressing into his abdomen and just thinking about what was to come, the pureblood moaned deeply. The louder Kaname voiced his emotions, the harder Zero dug his fingertips into the sides of the other's ribs. He grit his teeth together hard; it was exactly what they both wanted at the moment. Zero slinked his shirt up his stomach, urgency visible in his every move. The ex-human moved his hips slightly to one side so he could get Kaname completely undressed underneath him. Zero listened carefully to the breath that escaped Kaname as he touched the pure pleasure between the older vampire's legs, gasping as Kaname fondled his arousal. The hardness between his legs was enough of an indicator that Kaname wanted Zero too miserably to toy with him.

Zero rose to his knees to pull his slouchy pants off only to reveal his pre-cum covered boxers underneath. He positioned himself the way he wanted to be on top of Kaname and in one fluid movement; he slammed himself on the hardened organ. Zero's hips were as rhythmic as the ocean waves.

With each move he made, he got a little more intense with Kaname, pushing the older vampire deeper inside him, allowing himself to take complete control of the pureblood's body. Kaname's voice was weak and helpless as he pleaded for Zero to let him release but the silverette looked like wanted to drag it on a little longer, and Kaname wanted it that way. He saw the look on the silverette's face and Kaname knew his pulse was racing faster than ever.

Zero moved Kaname's hands to his hips and instructed the pureblood to hold on to him. He didn't bother keeping his voice down. Why should he? At the moment nothing mattered to Zero except for the brown-haired person underneath him and his arousal buried deep inside himself. They were aggressive and raw. Zero was not sparing the older vampire even a slight chance of getting closer to climaxing before he did. Having already been pretty rough with Kaname, Zero slowed his pace down a bit. The silverette's voice was husky and unrefined as he moaned for Kaname to thrust into him harder.

After a few good thrusts, they both gave way to their orgasms, Zero's body falling limp on top of Kaname's and he instantly fell asleep due to exhaustion.

As much as Kaname wanted them to remain in this very position, he knew that if he were to be around when the hunter woke, all hell would break loose and he'd be running for his life. So, being the genius he was, he reluctantly pushed the hunter on his back and pulled out of him, pouting at the loss of the delicious heat that surrounded his now lifeless member.

They definitely had to do it again; Kaname thought as he walked over to the hunter's closet and searched for something to wear. He could clearly see his shirt and pants ironed and neatly folded in one of the drawers, the one which Zero wore when they shared a rather less intimate night together. Instead of wearing it, he grabbed one of the hunter's dark blue jeans and a full sleeved lilac and navy blue double shirt. Quickly getting dressed, Kaname jumped out of the window, using the shadows to return to his room in the Moon Dorms thinking that if he were to die now anyhow, he would die a happy man.


	13. Point Of No Return

_**Chapter 13: Point Of No Return**_

If there was one thing in his life Zero Kiryuu hated more than anything, it was not knowing the answers to his queries. To be kept in the dark about his own being was infuriating the teen to no end.

Amethyst eyes stared hard at the ceiling above, hands fisted tightly by his side, body posture rigid. He had just ended his call with Ichiru who refused to tell him anything of matter. Like always, every single time from the past six years, he had received no answer explaining his condition from Ichiru. The gaps in his memory, the mind boggling dreams, the strange looks from others around him... nothing. His younger twin never gave him a reason for anything despite knowing it all. And like every single time, his blood boiled acknowledging his helplessness in front of Ichiru.

Placing every little image that had assaulted his brain up until now, Zero tried hard to make sense of his forgotten past, but every effort went in vain.

A couple of hours ago, he had woken up to the sound of someone banging on the door of his room like there was no tomorrow. Grunting he had gotten up, not yet conscious enough to remember the rather intimate part of the night and the day.

"Who is it?" He had yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Zero! Are you alright?" The said boy had recognized the voice to be belonging to Yori. Half lying in the warm bed, he had answered her question, words jumbled from sleep. He slid towards the corner of the bed to stand up and open the door on Yori's request to enter when he realized, albeit a bit late that what he had displayed was beyond his normal stupid behaviour.

The pain which rose from the action was nothing compared to anything he had felt before and he had desperately tried to hold back from screaming. Whilst controlling that, he did not notice the sheets tangling in his feet as he stood up and he fell back on his abused arse with a loud thud. The scream which then escaped his lips was heard by even the last student on the academy grounds.

The sudden shriek from the inside of the room made Yori disregard all common courtesy and she barged inside the room, using the spare key to unlock which she had nicked from the dorm manager in her concern for the silverette.

The image that greeted her was of a slightly dizzy, stark naked and polka dotted hunter who could actually not tell his left from his right.

Hazel eyes locked with amethyst, surprised gasps filled the awkward silence. Zero was rooted in his place, not sure what to do. Despite everything, Sayori took a step forward, now completely entering the room, getting over the initial shock. Her actions had prompted Zero to act too and he look around for his clothes in a clumsy manner, not yet aware of the extent of the humiliation he was supposed to feel.

"Ahem..." When Yori had handed him the boxers he was desperately looking around for, then the reality of his situation decided to smack him right in the face, making him fully conscious for a few seconds before he actually fainted from light headedness.

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><p>The next time he woke up, Zero was lying in his bed, his room empty. For a moment he thought that what he had experienced was just a fragment of a nightmare, but looking underneath the sheets and noticing that he was wearing his boxers, Zero flushed.<p>

On his bedside table, there was a glass of water, a pain reliever with a small note attached to it. Fearing the worst, Zero picked up the note and began reading.

_Zero,_

_I took the liberty of calling Ichiru in your stead and explained him the situation. I know you didn't want him to know of anything as of yet, but I think you deserve to know the truth. It's not my place to tell you anything, just know that I am your lifelong ally and friend and I truly think that your stubbornness and idiocy will get you killed._

_Sayori Cross._

Zero couldn't believe his eyes. He had read and reread the note countless times, not comprehending the situation at all. Wasn't Sayori's last name Wakaba? When did it change to Cross? How did Yori know about Ichiru and how to contact him?

Picking up his cell phone, Zero dialled Ichiru's number, barely able to control his growing rage.

"_**For everyman there is a cause which he would gladly die for,  
>Defend the right to have a place to which he can belong too,<br>And everyman will fight with his bare hands for desperation,  
>And shed his blood, to spread the flood, to barricade invasion-."<strong>_

"_**Zero?" **_His brother's voice brought him out of his reverie and he controlled the urge to snarl.

"Who the hell is Sayori to you and Cross?" Despite his best attempts, Zero could not keep his voice polite.

"_**Oh…What brought this up all of a sudden?" **_ Ichiru's grim voice removed even the slightest bit of doubt left in his mind that Sayori might have been talking about something else. His brother's nonchalance regarding the situation was nerve wracking and if they had not been separated by all those miles between them, Zero wasn't sure if he would have been able to keep himself from harming his twin.

"What brought this up all of a sudden? That is all you have to say to me? Kiryuu Ichiru, just what in the world have you done to my memories?!" Zero was an octave away from actually shouting, his lithe body trembling with concealed rage. The seal which Yagari Touga had placed on him a few nights back burning to contain his powers, straining his body.

"_**Don't get so worked up over something you don't even know. If that is all, I'm hanging up." **_Without listening to another word, Ichiru had disconnected the call, disregarding Zero's condition, which all led to the present time, with Zero cursing Ichiru to hell and back for toying with his life so easily.

"Damnit Ichiru! We are brothers, twins at that and you aren't supposed to keep such secrets from me!" He threw the glass filled with water at the door. The sound of the breaking glass echoed in the sudden silence filling the room.


	14. Another Side, Another Story

_**(A/N:**__ Thank you for the review on the previous chapter. Even though the reader count has decreased a lot lately, I just wanted to update and get this story over with. For those who are reading Check & Mate and hoping for an update there, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I have decided to continue on with this story under this very title and as far as Check & Mate is concerned, I will write about the past of these characters and everything else regarding it too which is not a part of the main story, but only after Hunter's Charm is complete. You can call Check & Mate a side story or a prequel of sorts, but the main focus will be completing Hunter's Charm before my sister's wedding as a parting gift to her. _

_To __**OfDarknessandFlowers**__, thank you for reviewing on every chapter, your reviews make me really happy. As far as the ringtone part is concerned, I actually wanted to give that very idea by choosing that song. It is from Bleach OST, 'Invasion' by Shiro Sagisu. You should actually listen to it, I personally find it to be a very awesome composition._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 14: Another Side, Another Story <strong>_

He was at his wit's end. Constantly trying to hold onto the little part of his sanity that was left was becoming tiresome. Having not left the room ever since he stumbled inside it with Kaname and then going through a whirlwind of emotions in the past few hours, Zero wasn't even sure what to and what not to believe at this point.

"Zero?" A feminine voice asked hesitantly.

"What?" Bloodshot eyes looked up at the intruder, a smirk replacing the previous frown.

"And here I thought you finally fell to Level E. You truly are a despicable thing, and quite stubborn at that too." Huffing, Yuuki entered the demon's lair. She adjusted her hair with a flick of her fingers and sat on a chair, sighing a bit too dramatically.

"Why oh why can't you just dig up a hole and bury yourself in it?" She asked with a humourless expression. Zero wanted to shoot her, right at point blank, but he resisted the urge to do so. He wanted to know her side of the story. After all, no one would do something so extravagant just because they had some free time on their hands.

"I hope you are going to tell me your great plans for after I die and the pains you had to through to come up with this scheme to kill me and what not. It will sort of complete the whole villain feeling to it, don't you think so too?" Zero snorted and got up from his bed, still in his boxers only.

"Modesty didn't even brush past you, it seems so."

"When you have a body as hot as mine, you'd obviously want to flaunt it," He touched his pectoral muscles and then slid his hands down to the sharp cuts of his pelvis in a teasing manner, "Someone as ugly as you won't understand, so no need to stress your brain." He finished, seeing the flustered look on her face.

"I sincerely hope you didn't call me here just to show off this scrawny body of yours. I've got much more important matters to deal with." Yuuki said, getting irritated looking at Zero's drool worthy body. She remembered Zero's call around an hour or so ago. The boy sounded extremely angry when he had called her because even for Zero, replacing the customary pleasantries with _'It's no wonder I considered myself asexual considering the kind of bitch that was always around me when I reached puberty.'_

Of course, this healthy and lovable greeting only resulted in her showing her true colours to him which he had apparently, known of for quite some time. Surprise, but not too much surprise there, after all, Zero had been a sharp one from the very beginning. She was brought out of her reverie by a rather heavy pillow colliding with her face.

"I didn't call you here to space out on me, you know. What kind of an evil villain are you anyway?" Now fully clothed in navy blue fitting jeans and black dress shirt, Zero asked her.

"Just say that you are dumb enough to not notice the obvious and I will play my role to perfection." Yuuki taunted Zero, hoping for the boy to get further aggravated, but Zero didn't let it get to him, remaining dead serious and silent.

"Spoil sport, why else would I want to get rid of you? Isn't it obvious to everyone that you're an eyesore? Ungrateful and no good for nothing hunter who can't even call himself sane anymore. Why would someone like you be destined to marry the Kaname Kuran? Why would our parents think that getting two guys like yourself and Kaname married would be beneficial- when you clearly do not love him- is beyond me and not to mention it's disgusting." Yuuki's face was twisted into a hateful sneer, her eyes showing nothing, but complete and utter ridicule for the boy in front of her.

"Did you seriously think that my memories would've forever remained in the dark? Of course, they might've, but then you just had to come and bite me. You would know this that whichever one of my memories that played itself in your mind when you drank blood from me that day also played in my mind. And that most of my memory locking charms have withered away whilst yours are still nowhere near unlocking."

Yuuki continued talking about strange memory charms and with each word that left her mouth, Zero's anger and helplessness grew. One by one, the locks to his memories were unlocked and the things which previously seemed meaningless all alone, seemed to make perfect sense now.

The charms on his memories were withering away, albeit very slowly, and the fragments of nightmares which assaulted his senses every now and then were part of his memories.

"So you know about her, I assume." Zero voice was barely above a whisper as he asked the question, joining the pieces one by one.

"Her? Oh you mean Oba-san? Shizuka Oba-san?" A red flame of amusement was practically dancing in the brown eyes. The feeling of having an upper hand on Kiryuu Zero was making her blood sing. Zero gave a curt nod, sliding to the very edge of the bed, getting increasingly anxious.

"Poor soul, wasn't she? I heard she died a very tragic death, begging for her mate till her last breath." Mock sadness washed over her features whilst Zero's eyes started to sting with unshed tears.

"And her oh so loving bond mate, my absolutely delightful Rido Oji-san. Last I heard he killed himself, devastated at the news of the death of his loving wife." She continued, her words hitting him like a thousand daggers aimed directly at his heart.

"I am sure you would be desperate to know how their bond was broken without instantly killing both of them. After all, you might want to learn the method to break your marriage bond with Kaname as well." She got up from her seat and sat beside Zero, running her fingers along the length of his thigh.

"It's very simple you see, all you have to say are these words and drink the blood of another noble or above noble vampire." Yuuki said and recited the words taught to her from a very resourceful person, pouncing on Zero and kissing him at the same time, forcing the blood in her mouth down the other's throat.

In a matter of moments, Zero fell back on the bed, his consciousness leaving him as a blinding pain evolved from his heart and spread throughout his body with the blood.

"It's sad to know that your teacher didn't even teach you such basic things, but of course, even if he had, you wouldn't have had enough pure and raw power to carry it out." Wiping her mouth clean, Yuuki said those words as she walked out of the room with the air of a battle hero around her. It was all too easy...

* * *

><p>"Dimitri." Although the name was said in a very low voice, to the person himself it seemed as if his name had been shouted in the microphone.<p>

"Yes, My Lord?" The black haired male bowed deeply, not daring to look up. Long pale fingers beckoned the male forward, a bored look plastered on the attractive facial features. Instantly understanding the command, Dimitri moved forward and loosened his neck tie, undoing the top four buttons of his white dress shirt; he obediently sat in front of his master.

Two pearly white, elongated fangs latched onto the milky skin of the neck, drinking from the neck in short gulps, savouring the warm, soothing flavour of the noble blood.

"My Lord, preparations for your departure have been completed." A voice said, breaking the eerie silence in the room. Red eyes looked up to see the person who interrupted his feeding and returned to their normal, sparkling colour. Extracting his fangs and licking the wound clean, the young man stood up from his throne like chair.

"Has the mansion been restored?" A melodious voice drawled; face looking as bored as ever.

"To perfection, My Lord." Came the immediate response.

"My luggage?" The lord of the mansion asked again, sauntering in the dark and gloomy corridor of the mansion leading to the master bedroom.

"Already sent and set in the mansion."

"My brother?" Sparkling amethyst orbs clashed with blue ones, traces of concern etched in them at the mention of the other person.

"Doesn't have a single clue regarding any of this... Ichiru-Sama." A smirk and the concern disappeared in a puff.

"Hn. Good work" Patting the other's cheek once, the younger Kiryuu twin entered his room to collect their most treasured belongings and leave for his hometown.


	15. A Night Of Revelations

_**Chapter 15: A Night Of Revelations **_

His brown hair created a halo around his head as he lay there in bed, fully awake.

"Sleep doesn't seem the most probable thing to do as of now. I am not even sure that I can sleep through the rest of the day as well." He sighed and turned to lie on his stomach, clutching the satin covered feather pillow. Images of a certain hunter drenched in rain water popped up in his mind. How his plump lips begged to be taken, the taste of the sweetest nectar that was his blood, the touch of that milk skin softer and purer than that of a baby, how he perfectly moulded in Kaname's embrace.

Zero Kiryuu clouded every one of his thought. Everywhere that he looked, he saw the rarely smiling figure of the silverette. On the other corner of his bed, he imagined him laying with his back towards the pureblood, black silken sheets tangled in his long legs, a rather beautiful mop of silver hair peeking from underneath the cover. He moved his gaze to the bathroom and the image of the silverette appeared there, only a towel covering his exquisite body.

The pureblood felt his body heating up because of the direction his thoughts were going and he mentally scolded himself for having such lecherous thoughts. He was a pureblood, known for his immense self control! Kaname reminded himself and tried diverting his attention to something else, something that didn't have those unique silver hair and amethyst eyes.

"I want to see him again. I want to hold him in my arms, touch his skin, and have a taste of him. I want him, all of him." Kaname mumbled to himself, clutching his hair and closing his eyes tightly.

"It is absurd of me to think that after one time of submission Zero will let me declare victory." Kaname sighed, finally feeling that it was meaningless to lay in bed and waste time any more.

Deciding on taking a bath to cool down, the pureblood got up from his comfortable bed and walked over to the bathroom. He had taken a much needed bath after coming back from Zero's room though he didn't want to wash away the hunter's sent from him, but it was essential. Before everyone was even up, Kaname was dressed in his uniform, a part of him dying to meet the hunter. Though before he could even step out of his room, realisation dawned upon him and his already foul mood worsened. Zero probably wouldn't be there at the changeover. He hadn't been coming since after their first intimate night. With sluggish movements that were uncharacteristic of him, Kaname descended the stairs, a depressing aura surrounding him. Wasn't he supposed to be ecstatic right now? He asked himself, annoyed at nothing in particular.

"Kaname-Sama, is everything alright?" He was brought back from his reverie by the blond noble in front of him. It had been happening a lot lately, Kaname would suddenly get lost in his thoughts, and oblivious to everything going on around him, such was the affect Zero had on him. The pureblood nodded in response, knowing very well that though his facial expression remained as stoic as ever, the noble was having difficulty in keeping a straight posture for his pureblood aura was making itself known with the increasing confusion and depression inside of him.

As they waited in the lounge for the rest of the Night Class to gather, Kaname decided upon few things.

Firstly, he would ask Chairman Cross to transfer Zero to the Night Class whether the silver haired hunter liked it or not. Secondly, he was now officially going to announce that his engagement with Yuuki, the one which took place on the council members' wishes, was now annulled. Thirdly and lastly, he will announce to the Vampire Council members that he had formed a bond with Kiryuu Zero which in Vampire Society was being as good as legally married.

Kaname had figured that up until last night, he was able to control his desire to be with Zero. He thought that he had finally tamed his feelings, or if not that, at least put a leash on them, but after last night's encounter, he couldn't believe that anymore, much less say it. There was a part of him that was willing to go as far as holding the hunter captive until he gave in to Kaname and accepted him, but there was a big part of him which wanted to wait for the hunter to make the next move in their twisted relationship. He wanted the hunter to wholeheartedly accept him and the bond and to fully embrace the good which was coming his way.

Kaname looked at his wrist watch and then around him, everyone had gathered by now and it was almost time to leave for classes. Lightly shaking his head to clear the thoughts away, Kaname proceeded on leading the class out the gates and to the school building. The pureblood could usually feel Zero's presence nearby, patrolling the areas around the Sun Dorms, but today, he couldn't feel it, not even a little bit. He mentally cringed when his hearing sense was assaulted by the screaming of out of control fan girls. In this aspect, he shared Zero's view.

If only these naïve girls knew what lay beyond the beautiful shells, if only they knew what would happen if one of their wildest fantasies were to come true, they wouldn't come here every day, eagerly waiting for a chance to get a feel of any one of the unnaturally handsome Night Class males. Again, he had to keep himself from covering his ears as the other school guardian's loud voice damaged his ear buds. He swore that unlike a few vampires who enjoyed the attention and praises, he loved it when there were no sugar rushed girls ogling his arse as he walked through the hordes of females.

* * *

><p>He sat in his usual seat beside the window, his gaze flickering from the clock to the teacher, his notebook and finally settling on the dark sky. He stared at the full moon, wishing in vain for the hunter to accept him for he was now beyond desperate for him. He would have gone on and on about how unfair Zero was being with him when the said man's scream interrupted his chain of thought.<p>

The sudden pain filled shriek stopped the teacher's lecture as well, for which Kaname was glad. If he had heard the strangled cry a few weeks ago, he wouldn't have felt an ounce of concern for the person, but now, it seemed too him that the cry pierced through his heart.

"Kuran-sama, is everything alright?" The teacher asked and Kaname noticed that he had jolted up from his seat. Excusing himself, Kaname briskly walked out of the classroom.

_'Kaname-sama, is everything alright? Are you fine? Is something the matter?'_He realised that these questions had been asked from him a lot lately. _Are my emotions this unstable that even others have begun to realise that something is not right with me?_ He asked himself as he walked over to where he knew his younger sister's class was being held. Seeing that she was busy noting down her lecture, Kaname moved away from the door and went for a stroll. He figured that this was the perfect time to reflect upon his life, there was no one to disturb him around; no one to ask that extremely annoying question. The pureblood took in a deep breath, hoping that the freshness surrounding would affect his morbid mood positively.

As Yuuki came out of her classroom followed by her friends, Kaname realised that the schooling hours had finally ended_. I couldn't keep track of time and ended up wasting another school day._ Kaname thought and sighed. He walked back to his own class and saw that Ichijou was picking up his stuff and coming out of the classroom. Thanking the blonde-haired person, Kaname returned to the place where the Night Class assembled to return to the Moon Dorms. He saw Yuuki at the gates engaged in a conversation with someone on her cell phone.

The pureblood could clearly hear Zero's voice on the other end of the line who was asking Yuuki to meet up with him and from his voice; Kaname could get this much that the silverette was far from being just angry at the moment. He felt a shiver run down his spine as the hunter's voice was deadly. The vampire prince stared at his sister who felt the same chill in Zero's voice as her facial expression took a 180 degree twist. The worry was now replaced with fear and something else, something he couldn't pinpoint at the moment, and she reluctantly agreed on meeting Zero.

"Yuuki, is something the matter?" He asked her as soon the call ended. They had now reached Kaname's room in the dorms and proceeded on making themselves comfortable.

"Oni-sama, did something happen between you and Zero that I am unaware of?" She asked him, her mind in a haze. _Kiryuu Zero just let it slip that he is aware of my hidden intentions, has he told Kaname anything yet?_ She questioned herself, planning the flow of conversation which would be in her favour.

"There are a lot of things which have happened that you're unaware of. Where should I begin?" The answer surprised her. She stared at Kaname, a doubtful look on her face. _Just what is he implying?_ Noticing that Kaname was dead serious, she let the words sink in. It took her a good few minutes before she was able to respond in a manner which wouldn't arouse suspicion, if Kaname indeed knew nothing about her predicament.

"You didn't happen to force yourself on him, right?" She asked, finding it hard to voice her thoughts. She didn't expect them to get intimate with each other after that first night. _Don't they find it wrong and disgusting? _Yuuki asked herself, barely preventing cringing.

"I would never display such disrespectful behaviour." Kaname's answer was partially the truth as Zero had not once pushed him away and had willingly continued with him, and if he remembered correctly, Zero was more than willing to carry out the act.

"I don't believe it..." Yuuki replied, gathering her courage to look her brother in the eyes. There was no way Kaname would fall for a pathetic Level D such as Zero.

"Why would Zero feel the need to talk to me then, if you did not do as he said?" A severe pain was making its way to her head and she lowered herself on the chair, sitting none too gracefully. To Kaname, his sister resembled a worrying mother, but had he known any better, he would've figured that she was working her way to planting seeds of doubt in Kaname's heart. Since for Kaname, only family and trust amongst family members meant a lot, it was what he had grown up with. Being royalty, family was the only one they could turn to in times of need.

"What did Kiryuu say?" Kaname's voice was cold and harsh, his eyes narrowed. He was currently having an inner fight on whether or not to trust Yuuki on this one. Lately, he had been observing a change in her behaviour, and had previously deemed it as growing into her vampire nature. But as time went on, he could always sense a faint dark and malicious aura surrounding her. _Surely she wouldn't bring any harm to me,_ Kaname argued with himself and decided to put the matter for trusting Yuuki in this instance on hold.

"He asked me to meet him in about an hour. I guess it's almost time now, I better get going." Yuuki said, trying her best to think of a way get out of this situation. She had not yet received a 'good to go' signal from her partner in crime and was not sure whether now would be the suitable time to break off Zero from their lives completely.

Shrugging off the dreaded feeling which wrapped around her heart remembering the powerful aura which she had sensed around Zero on the night of the party, Yuuki proceeded on going to meet the hunter. Her feet felt as heavy as lead and her resolve to eradicate Zero from the face of the earth wavered. Kiryuu Zero was extremely dangerous and was not supposed to be messed up with. This was what her vampire senses were warning her, but she continued moving on nonetheless. Tonight, she would end it all tonight, no matter what the price.

Kaname stared at the brunette princess until she was out of sight. He felt an unusual urge to follow the girl to Zero's room and listen to their conversation. The fast changes in Yuuki's mood swings showed anything, but care and kindness, but Kaname knew that the hunter would detect his aura easily, as soon as he would enter the main school grounds

Furthermore, the bond would prevent him from hiding his aura from the said hunter as well which could prove bad in case his mere presence pissed Zero off. So, diverting his attention from Zero and Yuuki for the time being, he entered his study and decided on signing papers until Yuuki's return.

* * *

><p>It had only been a few minutes since Yuuki had left him and as of now, he could feel a faint, not completely unfamiliar aura. Kaname, who was trying his best to concentrate on his work, was now focusing hard on identifying the aura alongside reducing his discomfort. He felt nostalgic as the aura intensified, stirring up memories buried deep within him. He was certain that it belonged to a person he knew all too well. <em>But it can't be possible,<em> he thought, shaking his head. The pureblood prince was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the slight knock on the door, not until the person came inside.

"Kaname, what is happening?" Ichijou's strained voice rang in his ears and brought him out of his trance. One look at the blond noble and Kaname knew that he wasn't just imagining things. There certainly was something wrong going on here.

"I need to check it out myself." Kaname answered, getting up from his seat, though before he could move even an inch, he felt a pureblood's overpowering aura, which he identified to be belonging to Yuuki.

_What the bloody hell is happening between Yuuki and... Zero,_ he thought and it dawned upon him that very moment.

"That power before, that aura I felt... it belonged to Zero..." He spoke more to himself than to the other vampire present. Of course! He remembered it now. He felt that same aura when he first saw the silver haired hunter all those years ago, wrapped in a pristine white baby blanket.

"But that surely can't be possible. The first time I met Zero, he was a twelve year old boy, not a new born baby." He answered the unasked question. The feeling that there was something missing from the whole scenario came back at full force this time because he was more than a hundred percent sure that there was more to Zero and his relationship before the hunter came to study at Cross Academy.

Just what was it that didn't make sense? Which part of this puzzle was missing? Exactly what was it that his knight was actually meant to be?

As his own mind bombarded him with unanswerable questions, Kaname moved towards the chess board placed on the small, round, mahogany table. His fingers roamed on all of the chess pieces until it settled on the White Knight which he had placed beside the Black Queen. The White Knight represented Zero and the Black Queen represented Yuuki. He had placed the knight beside the queen for her protection, knowing well enough that it belonged to the other side, his reason being that the queen herself could easily eliminate the knight if the need came. But now, he felt as if his whole plan was backfiring. He looked closely at the chess board again, noticing that there was piece missing in it, and a piece named wrong; the Black Knight and the Black Queen.

"... !" A gasp was heard as he stared at the chess board, his wine eyes widening to their fullest. Zero was not the White Knight… Yuuki was. She did not volunteer to talk to Zero to mend their relationship, she wanted to break it. His thoughts were cut short as darkness enveloped him and before he realised, he lost his footing and fell back on the little table, the chess pieces scattering all around him. The game he had built with so much thought and precision falling to pieces.

"Kaname-sama!" The faint voice of the other vampire, whose presence was completely forgotten, shouted. Takuma held their leader before his head could collide with the chair beside him.

* * *

><p>"Zero!" He shouted at the top of his lungs but it seemed that the silverette didn't hear him. He made a dash for the hunter, hoping to catch his retreating form but the distance between them kept on increasing. Zero's figure was illuminated, his whole being enveloped in a white light which was intensifying with every step he moved away from the pureblood. Kaname saw him turn back and say something, but he couldn't make out what it was. Zero was speaking in a very low voice and whilst Kaname tried to figure out what the hunter said, Zero disappeared, taking the light with him. Kaname moved around from one place to another trying to find a way out, but to him, it felt as if he was just running around in circles.<p>

Darkness...it surrounded him, threatening to swallow him...

Hollowness...never before had he experienced feeling this way, his whole being disintegrating into nothing...

Pain...had he known that such an emotion existed; he would've known how to make it go away as well...

* * *

><p><em><strong>(AN:**__ Previously, the story ended when it reached this part, but fear not, for this time, it won't just end here. Apart from this, a few theories which I came up with in the previous version of this story, they have been declared flawed by my twin as they couldn't cover up the whole… thingy that was happening. So please don't confuse yourself as stuff which hasn't been mentioned in this version is not applicable to this story any longer. _

_For those who want a bit of a preview to the next chapter, let's just say that one devil of a twin will make his entrance and if I'm in a good mood, Yuuki will fall down the stairs._

_Later all! And have a nice weekend __**)**_


	16. New Memories

_**Chapter 16: New Memories**_

"Ichiru-Sama, the plane is about to land." Looking at his right, Ichiru nodded once and returned to his musings. He was going to meet his brother for the first time in four years. It was true that they had been in constant contact through phone calls and text messages since then, but this was the real deal. A small and genuine smile graced his lips and his eyes closed in content. _We will finally be together again Zero Nii-chan._

* * *

><p>"It would be highly appreciated if you would just stop right there." The quiet voice said, making the brunette stop in mid step.<p>

"Yori-chan? What a pleasant surprise!" Happiness oozing from her very being, Yuuki turned around to meet her once best friend.

"What did you do to him?" The words were almost spit in her face, hazel eyes enraged. Yori had pushed Yuuki into the nearest wall and was now hovering over her, staring into her suddenly panicked eyes.

"Do what to who Yori-chan? You aren't making any sense as usual." Yuuki chuckled nervously, looking everywhere except in front of her.

"I just felt Zero's aura going berserk and it couldn't have happened on its own. You just came out of his room looking exceptionally pleased for a sneaky rat. I can do the addition." Yori's hand moved towards the edge of her skirt, slightly pulling it up to reveal a hunter weapon.

"I think you might want to answer now."

"How can you-?" Startled, Yuuki asked the other girl.

"How can I wield a hunter's weapon? It's quite simple. Unlike a certain adopted, ungrateful 'witch' with a 'b', I am the biological daughter of a hunter. Of course I'd be able to wield a weapon of this caliber." Yori completely pulled out the blade from its holder underneath her skirt and brought it close to Yuuki's face.

"You wouldn't?"

"Watch me." Just as the hazel eyed girl was about to make a clean cut on Yuuki's right cheek, Kaname's all too powerful aura smacked them at full force, bringing them out of their little bubble.

"Oh Shit!" Before Yuuki could even move an inch, Yori was running towards Zero's room, a worried look on her face.

Seeing the other girl take her leave, Yuuki took a deep breath. For a moment there, she had actually been scared of the other girl and her intentions.

* * *

><p>He stirred in his slumber, slowly gaining consciousness. His once wine coloured eyes were hazy, trying to wipe away last of the traces of the dream. Gradually but slowly, the crimson colour faded from his irises, the beautiful wine colour now back in its place.<p>

"He's awake!" Someone shouted, but he couldn't make out as to whom it was. For now, he was focused on waking up fully, on regaining his composure; returning to his old self, but something within kept him. He could hear someone calling out to him, someone crying out his name, but it didn't affect him in the least. He felt... nothing, like an empty, broken shell.

His gaze was fixed on the ceiling of the all too familiar room before it wandered from face to face of all the people surrounding him, finally settling on the very person's he wanted to see the most right now after sensing their aura.

It wasn't as if he usually displayed his emotions for the world to see, but now, as she stared at her brother, Yuuki felt that he didn't feel anything in the first place to show.

"What are you doing here?" Kaname's voice was debarred of all emotions as he questioned her.

"I beg your pardon?" Not answering his question, Yuuki walked over to him, a light bounce in her step. It all happened in a blur; she didn't know what caught to her until her head came in contact with the stone wall, Kaname's majestic figure appearing before her.

"I asked you, what are you doing here?" He questioned her again, staring hard into her chocolate brown eyes. Yuuki felt her blood freeze under his cold gaze. It wasn't just her, but everyone else present too. There was a sudden drop in the temperature of the room causing all of the vampires there to hold their breaths.

"I'm Yuuki, your sister and fiancée, don't you remember? Of course I'd be by your side even without any incentive." She said, her voice trembling slightly despite the fact that she had umpteenth time rehearsed this statement to make it believable for Kaname.

The laughter that now erupted from the pureblood prince shocked everyone. Kaname held the sides of his stomach to keep his composure, but ended up falling on the ground, his eyes watering from laughing so hard. In front of Kaname sat the pureblood princess staring wide eyed at him. He didn't know what made him act that way, but one moment, he was wiping the wetness from his eyes and the next, he slapped Yuuki hard on her face, making her stumble back and crash into the wall behind.

"Kaname Oni-sama..." Her left hand rubbing the part of her head where it hit the wall, glad that the blood oozing from wound stopped in a matter of moments. Yuuki reached for Kaname with her right hand which he instantly slapped away.

"Don't touch me!" He growled at her, no traces of laughter now visible on his face.

"Why?" Kaname stood up straight and walked towards the door after one last glance at the pureblood princess, completely ignoring her question.

"As far as I recall, my sister died the night my parents did." With one last glare at her pathetic figure, Kaname walked out of the room to see the Chairman.

* * *

><p>"Chairman Cross, what just happened?" The pureblood tried his best to keep his royal temper in check while he talked to the ex-hunter who was busy talking to someone on the phone.<p>

"Where did Yuuki suddenly come from?" His voice was hard as he talked about the brunette in his room.

"What do you mean by that Kaname-san? Yuuki has been here all this time." Cross Kaein answered, adjusting his spectacles.

"Don't you remember it? That day, when Otou-sama and Oka-sama died, she disappeared in the whole commotion!" He asked, momentarily shocking the ex-hunter.

"Kaname-san… don't you remember? She was brought back to us by Ichijou Asato after the whole commotion died down." But before Kaname could answer, an amused chuckle resounded in the room.

"I gather that things have finally started to get interesting here." Ichiru walked into the room, followed by two noble vampires.

"Oji-san, it's a pleasure to see you after so long." He formally greeted Cross Kaein, slightly bowing his head in respect.

"Ichi-ru… How?" To say that Kaname was dumbstruck would be an understatement. Firstly, he saw Yuuki and then he felt Zero and now Ichiru, who were supposedly announced dead around ten years ago.

"How am I here? I assume that your memory charm has been… removed. Although it seems as if the process is incomplete." Ichiru frowned and stared at Cross who shook his head, silently saying that he wasn't completely aware as to how.

"Kaname-san, don't worry. I am as real as you are and not a hallucination. In due time, you will come to know everything that you need to. In the meantime, Oji-san, where is Zero Nii-chan?"

Giving the directions to Zero's room from the main school building, Cross walked Ichiru to the main door of his office, making light talk on the way. Ichiru had a satisfied smile on his face hearing the detailed report from Cross. Even though the progress was slow, but nonetheless, things were being brought back into motion.

* * *

><p>"Nii-chan?" Ichiru entered the room directed to by the chairman and found himself staring at the almost nude form of his brother lying on the bed with Sayori sitting on the bed beside him.<p>

"How is he?" The younger Kiryuu asked, taking off the black leather gloves and lightly stroking his brother's cheek.

"Don't know. I found him in this very condition a little while ago." Yori answered, combing Zero's hair with her fingers.

"Kaname-san's first memory seal has been removed. You won't know how, would you?" Getting into a comfortable position, Ichiru got down straight to business.

"I have a few theories. A few more believable than the others." Walking over to Ichiru, Yori sat on the study table on whose chair Ichiru was sitting on.

"Amuse me will you." Nodding, Sayori began speaking.

"Yuuki… she did something to Zero… Something which was supposed to break his bond with Kaname-san, but it didn't work quite right and if I am not wrong, it merely resulted in removing the seal from one of the memory charms instead."

"And since Kaname-san is bonded to Zero, anything which will be done to Zero will have a considerable effect on Kaname-san as well, is what you mean, right?" Ichiru caught up to her chain of thought and finished her explanation.

"Precisely. But what I don't get is whether or not Kaname-san and Zero's recent bond will be affected by these new memories." She voiced out the question which had been bugging her from the moment she stepped inside the older silverette's room.

"It won't, as long as Kaname-san remembers the reality of their situation in the end." Ichiru said getting up from his seat and walking towards the door.

"Where are you going now?"

"I have some business to handle. Please take care of Zero in my absence." Ichiru said and walked out of the room, a small grin appearing on his face as he heard Yori curse him behind his back.

* * *

><p>"Kaname-san, do you have some time?" Ichiru leisurely walked towards the pureblood's dorm room after taking a relaxing bath and getting changed. Considering the fact that he barely bothered masking his aura, he was easily allowed access to Kaname's room, some of the other vampires going as far as bowing in front of him as well.<p>

Kaname stared up at the intruder and instantly sat up straight. He asked the younger Kiryuu twin to come inside and make himself comfortable.

"No, thank you, for the offer though. I'd prefer it if we would rather walk." The younger twin said and stretched his hand out to hold the older vampire's. There were a few things which Ichiru considered he should warn the older vampire about beforehand, and what time better than when Zero was unconscious and Yuuki was nowhere within hearing range.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(AN:**__ I tried my level best to make sure that this chapter made sense, but in case it doesn't, dear readers, please tell me and I'll try rewriting it to a better version. And in case it did make sense, please review and tell me how you feel about the progression of the story. Apart from that, I would just like to know your view on whether you would prefer if I told the twin's past and the reason for the death of the Kiryuu and Kuran clan in this main story or give it as a side story the way I originally planned to do it?**)**_


	17. Nostalgia

_**Chapter 17: Nostalgia**_

"As you might already know, the Kiryuu Clan is the most prestigious clan amongst Vampire Hunters. For a long time, only the head of our Clan was assigned the seat of the Hunters Association President, but because we were born in this clan, the law was changed." Ichiru stopped speaking and looked at Kaname. They had now reached the garage and the younger twin was busy sorting through the keys placed on a little shelf in the corner.

Ichiru's nonchalant attitude was ticking Kaname off. How a person could act that way when telling his life's story was beyond him.

"Kaname-san?" Ichiru sat on the driver's seat in a black Mercedes salon and unlocked the door for the passenger's seat for Kaname. Nodding, the brown-haired vampire sat inside reluctantly, although his demeanour remained as stoic as always.

Driving the car to a deserted highway, Ichiru resumed speaking after a good five minutes.

"Amongst the Hunters, the birth of twins is known to be a curse to the whole family… A deadly curse which results in the death of the family in most reported cases. If not that, one or both of the twins have been reported dead as well." Sighing, Ichiru turned his impassive glare towards Kaname.

"When we were born in the Kiryuu Clan, it caused uproar in the Hunter's Society. On the day of our birth, many famous and legendary hunters were present in the Kiryuu mansion, hoping to get a glance of us, 'the cursed twins'." Ichiru chuckled humourlessly and fixed his attention on the endless road in front of him.

"Amongst the visitors were the obvious those who were still against the decision to let us live. We were destined to die helplessly even before we were born... before we became the reason of death of others in the Kiryuu household, especially the President of the Hunter's Association, our father." Pausing once again, Ichiru allowed Kaname to sort out his thoughts, knowing the pureblood would have some question for him.

The younger twin waited a few minutes, but Kaname didn't open his mouth, staring straight-ahead. Shaking his head, Ichiru resumed speaking.

"In the end, our father decided to give up his seat of presidency if that was the price of our survival. The board members selected a few suitable candidates which would fit the position and Okama-san was one of them. His qualifications, status and standard were approved by the elders and in accordance with Otou-san's decision; effective the next morning, Okama-san became the Association President even though he didn't belong to a renowned pureblood hunter family. He was at least said to have a promising future filled with success."

By the time Ichiru finished talking, they had reached an area completely cut off from the surrounding land by high walls and big iron gates.

"From here onwards, all of this land belongs to the Kiryuu Clan; some of it has been our property from many generations whilst some of the land was acquired in the form of peace offerings or business deals later on." Ichiru explained, noting the shocked look on Kaname's face as the two gates opened, allowing the car inside.

* * *

><p>The whole of Night Dorm was buzzing with hushed comments and new found gossip materials. Kaname's main circle who had witnessed the unfolding of the events firsthand, were in a somewhat similar state as others, considering most of them were unaware of a better part of the situation.<p>

"I knew that Kiryuu was not good news from the very beginning. The nerve he had to lie to Kaname-sama." Ruka huffed, smoothing out her skirt. Takuma spared her an amused look, wondering what would have happened to her had one of the Kiryuu twins, more specifically; the younger Kiryuu twin heard her comment.

"You don't even know the news, how can you judge it beforehand?" The green eyed blonde asked, putting away his manga for the time being.

"Don't tell me you find this situation amusing?" Aidou asked him, pacing along the length of the room in a worried manner.

"Of course, aren't you?" Aidou shook his head without a minute's contemplation. "Think about it, Kiryuu is without a doubt one of us, probably better than us and throughout this time, you both have treated him no better than the dirt beneath your feet. Just the other day, I was reading this manga where the protagonist gets his revenge on his high school mates who used to bully him after he gets all powerful and what not. Just thinking about all the ways he could get back at you both makes me want to compile a report and give it to him." Takuma said, pointing at Aidou and Ruka.

Listening to the chatter around him, Senri stifled a laugh, earning weird looks from others around him.

"I'm pretty sure Zero won't do anything to you, Ichiru on the other hand, you might need to watch your backs." He said, standing up from his seat and pocketing his cell phone.

"Since when do you call Kiryuu by his name?" Aidou asked, finding it hard to digest the sudden change in Senri's behaviour.

"Since always." He answered and left the room full of surprised vampires.

* * *

><p>"I'm coming inside, get decent Zero." The stormy eyed boy announced before barging inside the older twin's room. Throughout their childhood together, he, along with Ichiru had always managed to jump in the older twin's room when he was in either the most humiliating situation or walking naked around his room searching for his clothes which used to mysteriously (not so much) disappear whenever he went to bath.<p>

"I guess that's about the most decent you can get." The older man smirked under the now awake silverette's murderous glare.

"I always wondered who that person was who always came in mind along with my family's image when I woke up. Had I known it was you and because of what reasons, I would've surely jumped off a cliff long ago." Zero said in a slightly bitter tone, having remembered everything now. It seemed that he was still very much bonded to Kaname now, but the seals on his memories were no longer there.

"Good old days when you actually respected your elders." Senri sighed, shaking his head to show the situation's hopelessness.

"Don't tell me I was the only one with memory seals throughout this time and you two were making fun of me behind my back for being this way?" Zero's voice cut through the pleasantries Senri and Yori were now exchanging.

"Pretty much yeah... But don't worry, Kaname-kun and Yuuki were in the same predicament too, feel good about yourself mate."

"Now I wonder why that doesn't make me feel good... why did you even want to seal our memories? What good did it do anyway?" Zero asked, slightly peeved out.

"For your own protection, what else? Had your memories not been sealed, you would've been in constant danger of being killed based on all those secrets you knew. Considering the speed with which that brain and mouth of yours runs, you'd be dead in a matter of moments if left on your own." Senri snorted, resisting the urge to smack Zero on the head. It was no wonder he always preferred the boy asleep.

"But Kaname doesn't have a runny mouth, so why him?" Arching an eyebrow, Zero questioned.

"Obviously because of his 'runny hormones'. Had he known that you were basically a property of us Kuran's," he paused at the sudden change in Zero's expression and reconsidered his words, "... of Kaname Kuran, he would've surely kept you chained to his bed for the rest of your life." Shiki deadpanned, loving the slightly flushed yet mischievous look Zero's face.

"Yuuki?" Zero asked, changing the mood in the room. Hearing her name, both Sayori and Senri sighed, theirs moods taking a 180 degree switch.

"She did what we feared she would do had we not sealed her memories. Yuuki has, for the lack of a better word, loathed you from day one and that feeling only intensified when she found out that you were Kaname-kun's chosen mate, to maintain the friendly relations amongst the vampires and hunters." He stopped and took a deep breath, saddened at the thought of his cousin going through the same fate as his mother.

"Your aunt...my mother, she was subjected to the same fate when she married my father... It was the same case when my maternal grandmother married your paternal grandfather. It's a circle of life for us." Senri shrugged and Zero nodded his head grimly in understanding.

* * *

><p>Shizuka Hio was the twins' paternal aunt, their father's half sister. Many years ago when the foundations of vampire-human coexistence was laid, Shizuka's mother married into the Kiryuu family. The marriage was supposed to take place amongst the royal family members, but at that age and time, there was no allegeable bachelor or bachelorette in the Kuran family. The need for a political marriage was strong owing to the rebellions against the Kuran bloodline and at that moment, to test the allegiance of the Hio clan and because it was a pureblood clan, Himai Hio was married to Krious Kiryuu and they had a daughter, Shizuka.<p>

Soon after Shizuka's birth, Himai died in one of the attacks by the rebels. When the need for a pureblood hunter to take Krious' place arose, the man married a huntress from the Kiryuu clan and had a son not long after. This boy, Gaerik, was raised like every pureblood hunter, but that didn't make him hate vampires, at all. After all, he absolutely adored his elder sister, to the point that it could be called a sister complex.

In the rebel that Himai died, all of the Hio clan was perished, save the half hunter - half vampire pureblood princess, Shizuka. Thus, when her father requested that she take up the Hio name, Shizuka gladly accepted, knowing that it was the love of her father for her mother talking. And in one of the events which Shizuka had attended as a representative of the Hio Clan, Kuran Rido fell heads over heels in love with her at first sight.

* * *

><p>The ride from the gates to the actual mansion was spend in silence, Ichiru gathering his thoughts as to what he should and should not tell Kuran whilst Kaname digested the information given up till now, and related it to his current predicament.<p>

After years of being kept in the dark, Kaname was finally going to get some much needed answers.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(AN:**__ In case anyone's wondering where Yuuki is, she is tending to the marks on her face, which since were inflicted by another pureblood, would take some time to heal. _

_Anyway, I hope some of the mystery has been dissolved by now. Since the story is nearing its end, hopefully it is, I thought that you too deserved to know what happened in the past just like Kaname and the other fellows. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and I'm sorry for posting a day late, since my sick leave just ended, I have to start attending the college again *sigh*. And sorry for the crappy chapter name, I am far too sleepy to think up anything else right now._

_Please leave a review, they make me really happy.__**)**_


	18. Curse Of The Twins

_**Chapter 18:Curse Of The Twins **_

Handing Kaname a glass a blood wine, Ichiru sat opposite to him in what used to be his father's spacious study.

"When the other hunters found out that our mother conceived twins, their behaviour towards our family changed drastically. Right in this very room, was the first time they felt insecure in their own home." Ichiru paused for a brief moment before the words started flowing from his mouth nonstop. Everything which he had been told about this encounter by his uncles, it poured out of him.

"Our mother was seven months pregnant with us, thus it was difficult for her to move her body like before when she was attacked by a few stray hunters who felt that she should just die for conceiving us in the first place. Not being able to engage in physical combat was definitely a disadvantage she couldn't accept then, but had to, and wait for our father to return inside before something bad happened. She was mercilessly shoved back into this study table resulting in many bruises on her back, but didn't let any harm come to us." Ichiru closed his eyes, erasing the vivid images which tainted his thoughts remembering the event.

"She screamed as the barbarians came towards her and grabbing her by her hair, threw her face down on the floor. She cried, not for the fear of what they might do to her, but how it would affect the unborn babies." Recalling this event was mentally torturing for the younger twin. He hadn't just heard this story from his uncles, but had seen the security camera footage as well which he had stumbled upon when the mansion was being cleaned a few months back.

"Our father came running inside after hearing our mother's scream not aware that some of the men had entered the safety of his study while he fended a few of them outside. It was one against ten; and our father certainly wasn't a superhero in a movie where he could single handedly defeat a whole gang. He did the only thing he could think of in that moment, and stood guard in front of our mother and let himself be beaten to pulp." Taking a swig of his blood wine, Ichiru held back the tears that were threatening to fall, the moisture gathering by the amethyst eyes not escaping Kaname's eyes. He felt for the boy, having been in a somewhat similar situation too when his parents were killed.

"My two uncles, Otou-san's team members and very dear friends, they happened to come at our house then and saved them." Ichiru finished his story and fell silent until Kaname asked who the saviours were.

"Cross Kaein and Yagari Toga. They weren't like our father in battle tactics. Kaein Oji-san was known as the fangless vampire back in the days when he was an active hunter and you have seen Toga Oji-san enough to know what he was like back then."

"That was the first attack on our family, previously, there were only threats to my parents to abort the pregnancy. After this first one, there were a couple of more before the whole thing stopped. And by that time, our parents had lost hope in a successful delivery. But as nature has it, we were quite persistent little fellows and even now, are in good physical health."

A few minutes were spent in companionable silence as Ichiru cleared his mind and Kaname sorted out his thoughts. Even though he was being told a lot by Ichiru, he knew this wasn't what the silverette wanted to talk about.

Finishing his glass, Ichiru stood up and asked Kaname to follow him, there were many other memories he wanted to share with the pureblood as well which weren't too heavy on the heart.

The two walked to the main staircase; Ichiru taking Kaname up to what used to be his and Zero's shared room all those years ago. His last memory in this house was a very fond one, right on this staircase. A small chuckle escaped his lips, remembering his own asinine behaviour towards his brother.

"_Oka-san!" The silver haired boy shouted on top of his lungs standing at the head of the staircase._

"_Oka-san!" Another voice, as sweet and soft as the other called out, though there was a hint of mischievousness to it. The boy who had called out at first stared at the other vehemently, fisting his little hands, threatening the other._

"_Ichiruuu...! I swear I'll punch you if you keep this up." He said in a low voice, grabbing his younger twin by the collar._

"_Ichiruuu...! I swear I'll punch you if you keep this up." The boy named Ichiru repeated in a monotone voice, a smug smile on his face._

"_Why you little-" Before he could finish his sentence or do anything to the younger boy, their mother came up the stairs where the two silverette's were causing a commotion._

"_Boys, how many times have I told you not to fight?" She asked, anger evident in her voice though her eyes showed nothing, but amusement._

"_Mom, why doesn't he listen to me? I have been saying this to him for so long to go and rest and let me pack our bags, but he keeps on pestering me, bringing useless stuff and shoving them in our travel bag." The older twin huffed, his pale skin flushed from anger. Reika looked at her six year old son incredulously. Where and when he had learned such big words was beyond her. She stood staring at the two for a little while, trying her best to control her laughter, but her control finally slipped and she started giggling._

"_Awww... Zero-chan, how many times do I have to tell you to let your brother do some work too or else he'll get fat," she said jokingly and looked at her younger son, "and how many times should I tell you Ichiru-kun to not tease your brother, he only means good?" She asked both her sons, kneeling beside them._

"_Mom seriously! Why do you call me Zero-chan and him... Him Ichiru-kun?" He pointed at his brother who was lying on the floor clutching his stomach, laughing his heart out._

"_Why? Because I am your mother and I can." She said, standing up and straightening her dress._

"_Now be nice both of you, your father will be here in a few minutes and make sure that your toy bags are packed by the time he arrives." She said and walked back to her room, giggling all the while._

"What is so funny?" Kaname asked the other male whose was just standing at the foot of the staircase, staring fondly at it and still chuckling.

"Nothing, just brought back memories." He said, climbing up the stairs in a leisurely manner. The younger twin was sure he could associate at least one memorable moment with every nook and cranny of this house, one moment with his parents.

"Kaname-san, do you know, right in the front of that very room, you stole Zero's first kiss." Ichiru said, pointing towards a tall mahogany door which led to the twin's play room. Hearing that, Kaname couldn't help, but chuckle a little, imagining a baby Zero's reaction.

"What did he-"

"What did he do to you for that?" Ichiru completed his sentence, his features lighting in mirth. "He hung you upside down from our room's balcony, with my help obviously, saying he'll keep you there until you apologized." The younger twin took them out on the very balcony, running his fingers along the stone railing.

"And did I apologize to him?" Hearing things about himself that even he did not know was a bit fun for Kaname.

"You obviously were older than us and we couldn't do much to hold you down. Not to mention that you used to be a very avid participant in the competition of getting on Zero's nerve. In fact, I'd say that we were almost neck to neck, but I was ahead of you considering we lived together and had more chances to interact. So, you left unscathed... well you did have a bruise on your face for a few moments." Ichiru was now leaning against the railing, his eyes fixed on the breathtaking image of the sun rising.

"It sounds very fun, it's a shame I don't remember any of it." Sighing, Kaname stood beside the younger twin in a similar manner, his chocolate brown eyes forlorn.

"In due time you will, when you are completely out of harm's way. We can't obviously manage to lose our future king of vampires now, can we?" Leading them back to his father's study, Ichiru said. The silverette knew he was stalling the main topic and that Kaname wanted to know very much how the both of them were vampires, but even as of yet, he couldn't decide on what to tell the pure blood.

"Ichiru-kun, what is it really that you brought me here to discuss?" Finally Kaname, asked the long dreaded question, earning a sigh from the silverette. _Well, here goes nothing, _Ichiru thought.

* * *

><p>"Where the hell did he disappear to?" Even though he wouldn't admit it, Zero whined earning incredulous looks from both Sayori and Senri.<p>

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" The older vampire asked, nudging Zero in the ribs to make him move over.

"What in the world do you want to do with that bastard?" Zero questioned, slightly peeved.

"Throw him on my bed and ravish him?" Senri supplied, a lustful look in his stormy eyes. Zero's mouth shot open, an unbelieving look in his eyes.

"Who said that you are allowed to 'ravish' Kaname, as you put it?" Zero glared hard at his childhood friend and cousin, arching a perfect brow to accentuate his words.

"Ew! Like seriously ewww... I thought you were talking about Ichiru!" Senri laid down beside Zero, scrunching his nose in distaste.

"Now that is ewww... Why would I think about my brother when I want to, you know..." Zero left the sentence unfinished, knowing quite well that Senri was capable of finishing it on his own.

"Both of you, please shut up..." Sayori massaged her temple, thinking that she was in serious need of some appreciated female company before she lost to temptation and kicked the two males.

"Yes Ma'am." On cue, the vampires replied, stopping their banter for the time being.

* * *

><p>He cleared his throat, having been talking constantly for the better part of the night before answering the pureblood prince's question.<p>

"Many centuries ago, when the first pureblood vampire died by the hands of the hunter, the clan which they belonged to was made royalty. It wasn't the effort of just one hunter, but two brothers, twins to be exact... Vampire purebloods have this," Ichiru paused to search for the perfect word, "uncanny ability to put curses on anybody they want, although most vampires now aren't aware of this. Or, you might as well say this that vampire pureblood's of that time could curse quite effectively. Unfortunately for the twins, before the vampire died by their hands, his last words caused mayhem in the lives of all the twins born after that." Ichiru grimaced, thinking that had it been him in place of the other twins, he would've first gagged the annoyance and then proceeded on killing him.

"His highness cursed that them and all others like them would be born just like him, creatures they despised the most and hunted. The oaf didn't quite understand what he was saying himself it seems and because of him, generations after generations of vampire hunters have suffered needlessly." Sighing, Ichiru paused to answer any questions Kaname might've had, but just like the previous time, the pureblood remained quiet.

"At that time, those two hunters didn't make much of his words, nor did anyone else, overjoyed that they had finally managed to find a way to kill them. Some time passed and the whole commotion died down for the time being until the news of a hunter couple expecting twins spread. It seemed that with each passing day of her pregnancy, the woman grew weaker and thinner, instead of the other way around. When she finally gave birth to the twins, the couple was shocked to find that one of the boys was dead, and when he was inspected by the older members, they came to the conclusion that he had been drained dry of his blood. Vary of the situation, the hunters left the matter, deeming it as a mishap of nature. A few years later, the living twin was said to have attacked his mother and drained her, that's when the rumours of the 'Curse of the Twins' began. As time moved on and the same pattern was noticed amongst only the hunter infants born as twins. The royal family head then, concealing the true reason for these mysterious child births, announced the killing of all hunter twins at the moment of their birth, not knowing that one of his own future generations would turn out this way." A bitter smile adorned Ichiru's lips, one of his upper fangs visible.

"And then with the passage of time, people developed new theories and what not to account for these births, just to satisfy their own curiosity and no one outside of the royal family knows the reason. Any questions?" This time, Ichiru himself asked, knowing that if left like that, Kaname wouldn't bother asking any.

"So what you're saying is that you both are born vampires, but why did the two of you survive when one from all of the twins died?" Folding his hands under his chin and moving forward in his seat, Kaname asked, quite lost in the hunter's tale.

"Because our mother was also the same way. Her body's mechanism protected us and kept us well fed all the time. She knew what was happening to her and would happen, thus she took explicit care of herself during her pregnancy." Glad that Kaname was asking questions to clarify the situation, Ichiru answered, wanting to know the other vampire's reaction.

"How did she know that? She didn't belong to the royal family?"

"She along with her twin survived as they belonged to a noble hunter family who were on extremely good terms with the royal family." Indeed, telling Kaname all of this was for the best.

"What was your mother's maiden name?" Kaname asked, unsure whether or not Ichiru would answer his question.

"Reika Cross."

* * *

><p><em><strong>(AN: **__I tried to update as fast as I could and hopefully, am not too late on the update. I also hope that the story has started to come together now and more of the confusion has been cleared. The liitle attempts at humour in this chapter are because I thought the chapter would be extremely dry otherwise. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. Please leave a review!__**)**_


	19. Romance Of The Two Kingdoms

_**Chapter 19: Romance Of The Two Kingdoms**_

"You... how did you hold up when you saw me impersonate Shizuka Oba-san?" Zero asked the older vampire as they lay side by side in his bed.

"I don't remember my mother a lot you know, but the uncanny resemblance did make me somewhat sad." For the first time Zero noticed that everything was completely sound in Senri's stormy eyes and for a moment, he felt like slapping himself for being so inconsiderate.

"Old man never really told me how Oba-san died. He simply used to say that it wasn't his fault at times. Sometimes he used to sit by himself all night long and paint her portraits, singing those really... cheesy songs about his love for her." Zero's tone was borderline complaining, but the almost depressed look in his eyes said that he didn't mind it all that much.

"Ne Zero? Why don't you ever talk about your parents' death? I'm sure Gaerik Oji-sama was someone as endearing as Otou-san." Senri had always wanted to ask this question from the older twin. Even though he used to go on and on about avenging the death of his parents, but he never really talked about them.

"I never noticed that. I guess it's because I don't remember them all that much." Zero stalled, keeping his gaze fixed on the ceiling as Senri stared at him.

"I can tell that you're lying. Even Ichiru doesn't know why you chose to be this stubborn about it." Pulling Zero so that the younger teen was facing him, Senri said, his eyes once again brimming with emotion.

"Let's just- let's talk about something else." Looking away, Zero answered with a sigh which resulted in Senri shaking him by his shoulders harshly.

"If you won't let anyone else in, how do you suppose you'll get past all of it?" Raising his voice for the first time, Senri asked, beyond angry at Zero's lack of trust in others now.

"Zero I believe it's time you tell us all your reason for being an obstinate twit." Sayori too decided to take part in their conversation, thinking that this might be the only time they'll get a sneak peek inside the silverette's brain.

"I don't want to talk about them as if they are dead because they are not dead! I know they aren't, they can't be... Oka-san promised me that she'll be careful; after all, she is the best, isn't she?" Panic was written all over Zero's face, he was close to hyperventilating and at that moment the other two figured out why Ichiru never forced Zero to talk about their parents. Zero himself was lost in his last encounter with his parents, back when they were in Russia, visiting his maternal family.

"_Zero, Ichiru!" Reika called the twins who were busy playing - read teasing - her brother's children._

"_Oka-san, you called us?" Zero said appearing on top of the staircase._

"_Yes, the car will be here shortly to pick you up. You need to be ready in a few minutes." She said and motioned for them to start getting ready._

"_You aren't going with us?" Zero asked her, a slight frown on his childish face._

"_No, some work just came up and your father and I will busy because of it. Don't disturb your uncle when you get there. And remember, he is a vampire so don't go around calling him a bloodsucker or anything of the sort." Reika said in a stern voice. Zero stared at his mother for a few minutes, for a simple mission, she was far too worried and impatient._

"_You'll be okay, right? It's just a level D mission, ne Oka-san?" Zero asked again, knowing there was something he wasn't being told._

"_Of course I will be." She assured him, her troubled eyes resting on her sister-in-law and husband. Zero moved forward and gave a reassuring kiss on his mother's cheek before looking straight into her eyes and spoke,_

"_You are Reika Kiryuu, the world's most awesome mother and hunter, what harm can this simple mission bring to you or any of us?" In his childlike, but firm manner, Zero boosted his mother's confidence._

"_You'll come to kiss me goodnight after the mission is done, right?" Stopping at the door, Zero asked, looking lovingly at his parents. A single tear escaped her eyes and she nodded, mouthing the words 'I Promise' as the twins walked out of the house after receiving one last hug and kiss from both Gaerik and Reika._

"She kissed me, and she said she'll be fine and they will come get us after everything will be fine. She'll scold me for not letting Ichiru do any work and making him fat. She'll cook for me again, for all of us. She- she... she will come back and kiss me good night again... She promised me she will." Zero hiccupped, barely able to stop the sobs from escaping.

It was the first time for both Sayori and Senri to see this sight of Zero and they thought that they just started to understand the older twin a little better. Although they wanted to help, they could now see that Zero's condition had taken a turn for the worst, bloodied sweat wetting his temple and crimson flecks appearing in the amethyst eyes as the boy choked back his sobs. Not knowing what to do, Senri dialled Ichiru's number, hoping to find a solution there, but the call didn't connect. He tried again, a few times, but to no avail.

"Give- give me my Bloody Rose." Zero spoke through gritted teeth, his head pounding with unbearable pain. Hesitantly, Sayori handed him the desired silver gun and moved out of his sight, fearing the worst.

Zero got up from the bed, amethyst eyes bloodshot and puffy, and jumped out of the room through the window. The sun was fully up now and no later, students would be hurrying up to the school building for their classes.

He ran towards the stables and hid himself in the white mare's stall, letting the animal lull him into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

><p>"Your mother was Chairman Cross' twin?" Kaname asked just to make sure and Ichiru nodded, finding the pureblood's expression slightly entertaining.<p>

"But Zero doesn't know that, again, it was for his own protection to not know any of this information." Ichiru said before Kaname could ask why Zero didn't know that.

"By a miracle of fate, a few months prior to when Oka-san and Oji-san were born, Toga Oji-san's sister was born, but that was a still birth. Grieve made them unable to inform the news to anyone and the fact that she had previous miscarriages also held her back from telling anyone anything. Thus, when Oka-san was born, she was given in the care of the Yagari family from day one and both of the twins were allowed to live, with no one knowing the truth apart from the royal family."

"Isn't Yagari Sensei older than your father?" Kaname asked, perplexed.

"By a few years. Oka-san was older than our father was by almost a decade, but owing to the vampire nature of her genes, she didn't age as normal people do. Otou-san happened to stumble upon her once and was completely smitten by her." Ichiru chuckled, remembering the expressions on both Cross Kaien's and Yagari Toga's face as they narrated the story to him.

"Otou-san received the beating of his life from Oka-san that day, because as it happens, she was standing underneath a waterfall, meditating when Otou-san found her, more like ogled her." Kaname couldn't hold back his smile as well, imagining the scene. From what he could gather, Kiryuu Reika resembled her older son a lot in manner and attitude.

"After that one time, Otou-san pestered our grandfather that he wanted to marry the person of his choice, not some girl selected by his father whom he hadn't even met, but grandfather didn't allow. Otou-san threatened grandfather with everything he had, going as far as saying that he'd commit suicide if he was forced to marry against his will."

"Did your grandfather cave in then?" Kaname asked, slightly annoyed at the pauses which Ichiru took in-between their conversation.

"Nope. Instead, Otou-san was kicked out of the house for being too daring. That's when he decided to play the trump card, Shizuka Oba-san. Our grandfather could never ignore or deny any of her requests, she was just too sweet. By this time, she was married to your paternal uncle, your father's brother, Rido Oji-san. Of course, given his nature, he was distracted in his mission when he met your father and decided that some guy time would do some good before begging his sister to help him, and thus one event led to another and Haruka-san and Otou-san became an item of sorts."

A few months before Zero returned to Japan, both Cross Kaein and Yagari Toga had come to visit the twins and that was when they decided to tell them these stories. Of course, Zero wasn't amongst the group that night, having retreated to his room quite early in the evening. And for some reason known only to him, Ichiru didn't tell Zero all of this.

"Think about what would've had happened to your romance had this arrangement gone through and Zero was born as your brother." Ichiru said out of nowhere, snickering internally seeing the colour drain from Kaname's face.

"Disregarding that unnecessary comment, how did they become an 'item' exactly?" Kaname asked, finding that part of the story more interesting.

"We-ll, Shizuka Oba-san was aware of the fact that Otou-san wanted to marry the person of his choice, but she didn't herself know who this person was. So, when she heard that her brother was visiting and was currently present in Haruka-san's room, she went there with her husband and stumbled upon our fathers in a rather compromising situation." Kaname raised a brow at the 'compromising situation' part and Ichiru clarified.

"Otou-san was straddling Haruka-san's waist and had one hand up his shirt from behind and they were just about to kiss."

"Oh..." Kaname wasn't sure what to say at this moment. He had never pegged his father to be like this. Ichiru on other hand was trying his best to hold in his laughter which only proved to be more troublesome seeing Kaname's expression.

"What happened then?" Finally, Kaname asked, clearing his throat.

"Both Oba-san and Oji-san thought that the person Otou-san wanted to marry was your father and as such, called grandfather without hearing our fathers' side of the story. Of course, this caused uproar amongst the people of both the kingdoms, but grandfather was willing to overlook it because Oba-san asked him to let the nonexistent couple be." Ichiru was having far too much amusement on Kaname's and their fathers' expanse at the moment, wanting to tell someone this tale for quite some time.

"Then?"

"Well that's all. Otou-san begged Oba-san to listen to him and finally came around telling that he was practicing with Haruka-san for the time he would propose to Oka-san and that was the end of it. Of course, he had received a rather marvellous scolding from her for not telling that sooner."

Before Kaname could ask anything else, Ichiru's phone rang, putting a halt to their conversation. He spoke to the person on the other side briefly before disconnecting, the only part understandable to Kaname being 'I'll hurry back'.

"I guess the rest of the stories will have to wait for now, an emergency situation just came up." Hearing that, Kaname nodded and the two were in no time sitting in the black Mercedes salon, on their way back to the Academy.

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><p>Zero woke up from his sleep drenched in sweat. For a little while, his slumber had been dreamless, but it soon twisted into a horrible nightmare, leading it all back to Yuuki and her malicious plans.<p>

Spotting the familiar aura, Zero dragged his feet towards the fountain where Yuuki was sitting, staring at her own reflection in the water. Aiming the gun right at her head, Zero readied himself.

"Sorry that I'm finishing it a bit too early Yuuki, but right now, you need to die for me." He said just before pulling the trigger.

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><p><em><strong>(AN:** I hope that I have updated fast enough. Sorry for any grammatical errors in this chapter for I haven't proof read it yet. If you spot any, please tell me. Apart from that, I hope that you enjoy the progression of the plot and feel free to ask me anything related to the story which you don't get, I'll try my level best to explain the situation properly. Please leave a review!**)**_


	20. Beautiful Madness

_**(****A/N:** Sorry for the rather late update and not even a new one at that. I just had to replace the previous chapter with this one, because quite frankly, it sucked big time, seemed almost an attempt to get rid of the story in whole. So, here is the new way that chapter is going. The facts told in the previous chapter remain, but as I reread the story for any clues as to how I can make them known without being too obvious, I noticed that I've told most of the stuff in the previous chapters already and as such, that chapter really had no use and was just a filler. Any ways, enjoy!**)** _

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 20: Beautiful Madness <strong>_

The noise of the gun shot echoed, alarming the Night Class students who were on their way back from their classes. The strong scent of blood was also an additive to tell the others of the solemnity of the situation.

Kaname's inner circle was the first one to reach the place where the other two were present, being in front of the line.

"Kiryuu?!" Aidou rushed over to where Zero stood and shook the boy hard, feeling dread seeing morbid look in the amethyst orbs.

"I forgot to ask you a few things before I send you off to hell. Why did you feel the need to kill me to get Kaname? You could've just tried asking." Zero asked, staring at Yuuki as she held the side of her head where the anti-vampire bullet had more than just grazed, allowing the blood to flow freely.

"Would you have given him to me, had I asked?" Her voice quivered due to the numbing pain in her head. Her own eyes were glowing crimson, the need to feed increasing by the second. The more powerful the vampires were, the harsher were the effects of the anti-vampire weapons, and the fiercer was the wielder.

"Now that I remember everything thanks to you, no way am I going to let go of that bastard Kuran." Two pairs of brown eyes widened hearing Zero's reply.

"Zero you..."

"Not now Kaname, can't you see I'm busy?" Shushing the other pureblood, Zero returned to Yuuki, relishing in her pained cries. He was well aware of the growing thirst of the vampires around him and knew just the perfect way to deal with them, Council and Association be damned.

Firing a warning gunshot in the air, followed by his bellowing, everyone was shaken out of his or her trance. "One more step towards us, or even if one vampire got out of control, I'll impale them with this gun before shooting. Got that?!"

Takuma, Sayori, Senri and the other disciplinary committee member who had just arrived on the location, rushed them towards the Moon Dorms.

"Zero just what do you think you're doing?" Ichiru walked all the way over to his brother, having witnessed the whole scene from afar.

"Making love to her. What does it look like to you?" Casting an annoyed glance at his brother, Zero replied. If it wasn't for his image, Ichiru would've surely face-palmed himself. _The things you do for love, _Ichiru thought, prying away the Bloody Rose from Zero's hands.

"Leave her be, don't you want to wait for the grand finale to settle things?" Ichiru said, walking over to Yuuki. He felt a strange feeling of humour and contentment wash over him, seeing Yuuki in her current state.

"What did you do this time Yuuki-chan?" He asked her with an eerily charming voice, taking a whirl of her fingers in his nimble fingers. Yuuki shivered under his touch, not having enough confidence to even speak up for herself.

"Yuuki-chan...," His voice grew sweeter, if possible and the murderous gleam in his eyes increased tenfold, "I believe I just asked you something."

"Ichi- Ichiru... how did you?" Her eyes were wide with fear and shock as she stuttered, having met Ichiru for the first time in person.

"Did you think that sending a roomful of unskilled hunters to kill me would be enough to actually accomplish the task?" He asked, and then lightly called out Dimitriv's name, the man appearing by his sight in an instant.

"Take her over to the Kiryuu mansion along with Oji-san and Kaname-san's friends, we have a few things to settle it seems." Ichiru commanded, walking over to his brother. The calmness in his voice made Zero slightly vary and he stared at Ichiru with one of his brows raised. The older twin didn't know what hit him until Ichiru's foot collided with his arse, making Zero stumble forward.

"What the hell was that for?!" Zero roared, hands on his behind.

"You imbecile! Do you have any idea what the Association and Council might've done to you had you actually shot her?" Ichiru's words were like a bucket of cold water for Zero, waking him up full time now.

"I didn't think about what they would do to me actually." Zero confessed, his head bowed in the semblance of a child being scolded by his parents.

"I thought so..." Ichiru shook his head in hopelessness at his brother's thought process, "Anyway, Okama-san will be coming over to the mansion today and I took the privilege to invite Ichijou Asato as well. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss it for the world, right?" Ichiru asked as he walked over to the garage with the others falling closely behind.

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><p>"<em>Ichiru-chan, what do you suppose your brother will do when he gets air of this?" The brown haired pureblood asked his little companion as they both sat in the cosy lounge. <em>

"_Rido Oji-san, Zero is naive, he won't think of the consequences of his actions before acting on them. Surely you know this much." The younger twin replied, sipping his own glass of vodka._

"_Oh I know a lot more than just that," The pureblood chuckled, downing his own beverage._

"_Oji-san, how did Oba-san die?" Hesitating, Ichiru finally asked that one question which had been bugging him since he had first came here. _

"_How... Because of me, I believe." Putting the glass back on the side table, Rido took in a deep breath. For a long time, he had always wanted to talk about Shizuka with someone and sharing the painful memories with his son wasn't something he wanted to do._

"_She begged me to remember her till her very last breath and when I finally did, it was too late." They were now inside the older pureblood's room, a place where Ichiru had never been before._

"_How did you forget about her?" The eleven years old asked, perplexed._

"_I don't really know it myself, little one. Purebloods are very sensitive to their bond mates, both emotionally and physically. And I was probably head deep in love with her, something which is not allowed in political marriages, as ours was, but in our case, it was a mutual thing."_

"_Why isn't it allowed?" Ichiru asked, still not familiar with the way adults' mind worked._

"_The situation can be easily exploited in such cases. You kidnap one and ask for huge amounts of ransom or for blackmailing, it's all the same. Usually in case of political marriages, if such a situation arises, whatever you do, it is to keep up your image, not to keep your marriage." Trying his best to make it as simple as he could for the younger twin, Rido answered, but it seemed that Ichiru was a bit too smart for a child his age, if his next question was anything to go by._

"_So, what did you do when Shizuka Oba-san was kidnapped?"_

"_Sacrificed our love... I let my half of the bond to dissolve for her safety, to end the torture she was suffering from." They had now stopped in front of one of the many canvases aligned by the wall. Rido picked it up and placed it on the stand, grabbing his palate and paint brush from one of the shelves as well._

"_Dissolve a bond, how?" Taking not of each and every action of the older pureblood with fascination, Ichiru asked, curious to see the picture hidden behind the light covers._

"_Just like there are dark hunter charms, there are forbidden vampire spells as well. One of them allows the bond between to mates to be severed from one side, which makes them forget about the existence of the bond in the first place." He removed the cloth cover from it and placed it on the side to reveal an unfinished painting of his bond mate, talking all the while._

"_Your Oba-san and I shared both a marriage bond and a blood bond. Life was as perfect as it could get, but then the rebellions against the Kuran family started anew and at that time, the position of the head was highly fragile and I was in immense danger." Painting the cherry blossoms in the background, Rido cast one glance at Ichiru. Taking in his expression, he decided that maybe a detailed explanation was necessary._

"_It's not as if I was weak or anything, far from it, but as I've told you before, since they had my wife, there wasn't much I could do. This situation persisted for a few weeks, or was it months and eventually things settled down, after our bond was severed that is. When Shizuka returned to the castle, I had forgotten all about her and regarded her as one of those desperate purebloods trying to get in our good graces. Owing to the blood bond, she still felt the dire need to feed from me, especially in the condition she was in, but I disregarded her every time." By now he was done with painting the blossoms and had moved on to Shizuka's eyes, but his fingers and the paint brush they held trembled as he dipped it in the brightest shade of cherry pink._

"_The last time she came to me was when she had delivered her child. Handing me that soft bundle, she asked for the last time to let her feed from me and I don't know why, but I allowed her to, willingly enough. She was a beauty to behold even on the verge of madness. That kiss of true love in our case was a sip from true love and finally, my half of the bond didn't feel as incomplete anymore. Every touch, every memory came back to me in that moment, but her precarious condition didn't allow her to live for long. She had come a long way without her bond mate, which was an accomplishment in itself and all I could do was hold out my hand for her to take hold of once again as she disintegrated into nothingness."_

"_Why didn't your family do anything to help you?" The cherry eyes, Ichiru noted, held so much hatred in them, contrasting greatly with the sweetest of all smiles painted on her face and the boy felt miserable just seeing the painting. _

"_They did everything they could, but since I couldn't even remember her in the first place, there wasn't much they could, little one. Life is unfair in that way, don't you think so too?" Rido asked, hinting at Ichiru's own situation._

"_Hn."_

"_I'm sorry for making you relive those memories." After a minutes contemplation, Ichiru said, looking at the pained look in his uncle's mismatching eyes._

"_I wanted to tell someone this for a long time, but I never had the strength to tell Senri how his mother died by myself. One day, when I'm no longer alive, do tell him for me, I know he is curious, but won't ever ask from me." Suddenly turning towards the younger twin, Rido asked, an almost pleading look in his mismatching eyes._

"_I will, I promise you that much." Driven by the emotions in the older pureblood's eyes, Ichiru replied in a heartbeat._

"_And keep him happy, I'm sure that he is a lover of silver hair as much as I was." The light playful sheen in his eyes was enough to make the eleven year old flush from embarrassment and fix his gaze at a blank point on the wall. _

"_I'll try to..." And he could stop the flush or reduce it under the scrutinizing glare of his uncle._

"Chiru... Ichiru!" Zero shook the younger twin out of his thoughts as they all stepped out of the car. Ichiru had driven them all the way to the Kiryuu mansion on auto mode and thank fully, without a scratch.

"Yes?" Ichiru asked, fixing his gaze on his brother.

"Nothing, you were just dozing off and smiling very creepily." Casting one worried glance at his brother, Zero walked over to the entrance doors of the mansion with Kaname tagging alongside and Sayori falling closely behind, busy in light chatter.

"Senri?" Ichiru held the other boy by his shirt's sleeve, keeping him in his seat. Slightly surprised by Ichiru's expressions, the older pureblood remained seated, his brows raised in slight worry.

"Nothing, just realised I haven't had the chance to spend some time alone with you." The younger twin said before placing a kiss on his bond mate's lips, oblivious of the surprised yet happy look on Zero's face who was looking at him from afar.

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><p>"Zero?" Kaname asked, staring at the silverette. Zero had a sweet smile on his face as he stared at the car from which they had all just gotten off. Following his line of sight, Kaname too witnessed one of the very rare moments of true humanity on Ichiru's face, a small smile lighting his handsome face too.<p>

"Come one. It's not nice to spy on people in love." The brunette said, taking hold of Zero's hand and pulling him inside the mansion.

"I dare you to say that in front of Ichiru." Zero replied, finally walking inside the house, not bothering to pull his hand away from the pureblood's hold.

"What's at stake?" Kaname asked with an all too serious expression. Zero actually stopped for a moment to contemplate before answering.

"A night with me, no restrictions, no holding back." For a moment, Kaname was totally taken aback and Zero had to stop him before the pureblood actually went to Ichiru to say that.

"Answers about your missing memory, Okama-san and Ichijou Asato are right through that door. What is more important?" Zero pointed to one of the many doors in the lobby seeing the chocolate brown orbs darkening.

"Obviously a night with you, no restrictions and no holding back. I've waited for these answers for the better part of my life, what's wrong with one more night?" Kaname said, dragging Zero to one of the spare bedrooms Ichiru had shown him.

Throughout this time, the two were completely oblivious to the presence of one Sayori Cross who was standing in the middle of two shameless vampire couples. One busy in making out physically in the car a few steps behind and one busy verbally making out a few steps ahead, both heedless of the presence of a few of the most influential people in the hunter and vampire world waiting for them in their sitting lounge.

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><p><em><strong>(AN 2: **Someone please stop me before I write Ichiru X Senri smut in this story, and another Kaname X Zero, Please! Any how, I hope this chapter was enjoyable, please leave a review as to what you think of it!**)** _


	21. In Your Embrace

_**Chapter 21: In Your Embrace**_

_I had forgotten about it all, everything about my unrequited love which people deemed as brother complex, until that fateful night when Zero bit me and the harsh memories resurfaced. I was living a content life from the past few years and had learned to move on... and fall in love with my love rival, Zero Kiryuu. But then everything crumbled and I was once again left hopeless, alone. It was then two strong arms supported me, and I saw hope again... in the form of Ichijou Asato. I came to know of what my brother had planned for me, what my parents had planned for me and my anger grew, my blood boiled and I began hating everything, hating everyone, but I couldn't hate him for long, for he was my saviour once again, in that stormy, snowy night. _

_Ichiou introduced me to an accomplice of his who would help me get back on my family and the damned Kiryuus, or what was left of them. He assured me that just for a little of my blood on every encounter, he would make Zero's life a living hell and then announce in the Council that Kaname and I were engaged to be married according to my parents' nonexistent wishes. Since no one outside of the two royal families knew of the settlement and both Zero and Kaname were unaware of anything regarding it, it was the only suitable solution._

_It was also recommended that I, Kuran Yuuki, imprint myself in Kaname's very being and make him hopelessly fall in love with me, which was going smoothly until Kaname decided to doubt my intentions and me. One possible miscalculation on my part would be underestimating the Kiryuu name's influence in our supernatural world. And of course, Kiryuu Ichiru. From what I remembered from our childhood days, Ichiru was a harmless soul, who wouldn't even harm a fly and preferred remaining in the background, in his brother's shadow and that is what probably cost me my life and love._

_I remember it all, like it was just yesterday when on one side of the world, the Kiryuu twins were kidnapped by Ichiou and the Association President and on the other side, I ran away from my home. A place where my own brother was hell bent on stripping me of my pureblood status for giving way to the 'evil purebloods' to our home and putting our family in danger, being the result of our parents' death._

_I ran for a long time, I was immature and stubborn and still couldn't drop the idea of killing Zero. Found wandering in the wilderness, I was brought to a new home, to a new pureblood family, Shirabuki's family by a sweet blonde haired woman named Sara. _

_During my brief stay there, I was shown the darker side of both my and the Kiryuu family, and there I learned stuff which would otherwise have had been flowers and rainbows for me. I came to know that I wasn't the first one to have been succumbed to the fate of losing my immortal status to a mere mortal one, but I was the first one to have survived that. To have ran away from it._

_As for my family, which consisted of my living brother and dead parents, they had already been over my funeral and what not. It was heartbreaking when I came to know that they didn't even search for me, or what remained of me. _

_One night, I ran away from the Shirabuki house. Not because I wanted to, but because I was asked too. Since the commotion had died down and talk about my brother settling things with the Chairman of the Cross Academy began, I was left all alone in a snowfield. By a lucky twist of fate, or planning of Sara-san, a lowly Level E happened to attack me and Kaname saved me from it, and then gave me in the care of Cross Kaein. _

_He seemed different that night; he acted as if I mattered. It was later I figured out that he had not a single memory of the night our parents died and I was overjoyed knowing that. Knowing that my pureblood powers were safe within me now. Life went on the same ways for a few days and then things stopped making sense, everything was carefully embraced in the darkness, and I couldn't tell who I was anymore... until that fateful night when Zero bit me..._

"Yuuki-san, it's time to wake up." She was jolted out of her trip down the memory lane by the voice of Dimitriv. Once up, she noticed that her head had finally stopped bleeding and she was in a place not completely familiar to her. She remembered having come here a few times in the past, but that wasn't enough to trigger her memory as to where it actually was.

"You're in Kiryuu-sama's mansion." Dimitriv answered her unspoken question and began adjusting the cuffs on her hand to make it less painful for her.

"Where are the others?" She asked, fearing the sudden darkness surrounding her. As per his order, Dimitriv knocked her out with a well placed hand on her pressure point and dragged her to the servant quarters which had been modified to become interrogation rooms. _One down, three to go, _the young lad thought going towards the seating room situated in the far back of the mansion.

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><p>"We have precisely fifteen minutes before the others will start looking for us." Zero mumbled against Kaname's lips, locking the door behind his back.<p>

"Enough time for a quick one." The pureblood heaved, pressing his lips against Zero's for a bruising kiss. Kaname's smirking lips barely gave Zero room to reply, but the hunter still managed to scowl and glare at Kaname, trying hard not to let himself drown in the temptation known as Kaname.

"Ok-okama and Ichi…" Kaname cut Zero in midsentence, pulling him closer if possible.

"Do you ever shut up?" If Zero hadn't before, Kaname made sure that his lips were too occupied to talk. Zero shivered against the pureblood before kissing back, eagerly pressing his tongue against Kaname's lips when he took too long. Taking it as the invitation he was waiting for, Kaname plunged his tongue inside the other's mouth, taking his sweet time exploring the addictive cavern that was Zero's mouth.

The silverette's heavy breathing resounded through the otherwise quiet room when Kaname's mouth slid against his throat. He tried to pull his wrists from Kaname's grasp when the pureblood's tongue and fangs darted past the silverette's pulse, making his knees go weak. Zero banged his head back against the door when Kaname's aroused fangs finally penetrated his sensitive skin, sucking the blood at a leisurely pace to make the act enjoyable for both of them. His back arched as Kaname slid out his fangs and lapped his tongue at the two marks, cleaning any stray droplets that escaped his feeding.

"Wa- wait..." Zero moaned after Kaname nipped along the tender skin, smoothing it over with his tongue.

Amethyst eyes were transfixed when Kaname brushed his lower lip with his tongue, thinking whether or not to grant Zero's request for waiting. Zero, at the moment was too aroused to realize that the pureblood's act was unintentional and pulled on the collar of Kaname's shirt, catching the deep in thought pureblood off guard, and pulled his tongue between his lips and sucked hard after nicking it with his fangs, relishing in the soothing taste of Kaname's blood.

Kaname stilled, looking at Zero whilst the younger boy pushed him against the wall beside the door and placed a rough kiss on the pureblood's mouth. Zero backed away before Kaname had a chance to respond, and smirked at the slight daze that coated the chocolate eyes.

Not letting Zero have an upper hand on him, Kaname trailed his fingers down the taut stomach, brushing past the pert nibbles to make Zero moan at the heat that scorched his skin. Zero's hips jolted forward, now freely feeling Kaname's growing arousal against his own pleasure. His knees weakened further when he felt Kaname's long fingers pulling his trousers, leaving the black slacks barely hanging on the pale hips.

As Kaname's mouth coaxed Zero's to respond and his hands roamed the smooth expanse of the pale skin, Zero became unsure of which pleasure to focus on and was left to only moan as he grabbed Kaname's shoulders, resulting in their partial naked chests rubbing together. Zero slid his palms down Kaname's chest, and the pureblood quietly groaned into the kiss when Zero grinded their hips, wanting to feel Kaname's arousal buried deep inside him when he came.

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><p>"Ich- Ichiru!" Senri's strangled cry was muffled by the younger silverette's mouth pressing against his own as Ichiru continued on aiming straight for his prostrate. The rough and fast tempo set by the younger of the two was working well in driving them over the edge, dousing their thirst for each other for the time being.<p>

"Next time, without the condom. I don't like not feeling you inside me." Senri murmured against Ichiru's heated skin, his breath still coming out in short puffs. Hearing this, Ichiru could only nod, for he felt the same way.

"Once this whole mess is over with, I won't let you leave the bed until I'm done screwing you to oblivion." Ichiru replied, smirking at the light blush which adorned the other's cheeks.

"I'll look forward to tha- Ah!" Senri gasped as Ichiru pulled out from inside of him, his back still highly sensitive.

"If you keep on making such noises, I swear Senri I'll just go inside and kill the lot to get this over with as soon as possible." Restraining himself, Ichiru mumbled against his lover's lips before pulling him into a soul shattering kiss, once again, losing track of everything going on around them.

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><p>Sayori wasn't sure what to do, more specifically how to ignore the loud moaning noises coming from around her. If she moved closer to the bedroom as compared to the car at the front, she could hear Zero's highly inappropriate comments regarding Kaname's skill in bed and if she moved closer to the car, she could clearly see Senri's backside as he sat on the younger twin's lap. Ultimately, she decided on sitting in the middle of both the couples, right by the entrance of the mansion. <em>If only I had a lover right now, <em>she sighed, holding her head with her hands.

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><p><em><strong>(AN: **__Since no one stopped me, except for my sister whom I chose to ignore, this chapter came out as a result. If I am not wrong, only about five chapters are left till the completion of this story, Finally! _

_Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of the chapter, moreover, if anyone thinks that they can beta read this chapter and improve it, please help me with it. I tried my level best to make it as excitable as I could. I hope you all enjoyed reading it!__**)**_


	22. Ashes Of The Mighty

_**Chapter 22: Ashes Of The Mighty **_

"Sayori-sama, the guests have been taken care of." Appearing out of thin air, Dimitriv startled the brown haired girl still sitting in the doorway. Clapping her hands in glee, she stood up, thanking the gods above for answering her silent pleas of distraction.  
><em>Finally...<em> A dark voice murmured inside her, tired of the wait. The long awaited answers she yearned for where now at her doorstep.

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><p>"What is the meaning of this humiliation?!" The noble's voice boomed in one of the interrogation rooms, his body having refused to move on its own accord as soon as he had stepped inside.<p>

"Asato-san, it'll be in your own interest not to cause a scene here. You are in our territory and as such, no one can hear your desperate cries. Save your breath." Eyes alight with sinister delight, lips curled up in a smirk, he sauntered inside the room, followed by Senri and Sayori. Where his brother and brother-in-law had disappeared off to, he didn't want to think of at the moment.

"What does a brat like you want with me?" Pride of lineage seeping through his voice, Ichijou Asato asked the younger Kiryuu twin, looking at him with unbridled disgust.

"Tsk tsk tsk… some people just never learn, do they?" In a heartbeat, Ichiru was beside the middle aged man, crimson eyes now glaring straight in the icy blue ones as Ichiru stroked the older man's face with his claw like nails, drawing blood in the process.

"I'm not the helpless child you enjoyed torturing oh so much all those years ago anymore." Fangs a few centimetres away from piercing the slightly wrinkled skin of the neck, Ichiru hissed, holding the older vampire by his forearm. The very vivid images of what he and his brother had gone through all those years ago fresh in his mind.

"I can skin you alive this very minute if I want to and no one will come to your help Asato-san. Make sure that you don't anger me." Startled out of his trance by Kaname entering the room followed by Zero, Ichiru let go of the arm and moved back. It was only then that Ichiou realised the blood needles which had pricked his skin and were now stinging. Pain flashed through both amethyst and blue orbs when they clashed, both in remembrance.

"Uso…" Not believing his eyes, Asato blinked repeatedly, fixing his gaze on the small, now barely present needle holes in his arm and then at Ichiru's fingertips where little blood spots remained.

"Don't believe what you saw?" Snorting, Ichiru moved closer to the man and pricked his finger with his fang, letting the blood flow freely. The blood, however, instead of dripping down, took the form of a whip.

"Don't you know Asato-san, when you drain a pureblood to the point of disintegration, you inherit their powers (1)?"

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><p><em>It felt like the longest car ride ever and they were still going on, following the unlighted lamp posts towards an unknown territory, bored out of their wits. Throughout the ride, the distant feeling that they were being followed nagged the older of the two. Yet, he couldn't be sure since whenever he turned his gaze and looked through the back window, there wasn't anyone present, nothing out of place, just the empty boulevard lane. Attributing his behaviour to nervousness and his overly active imagination, Zero ignored his sixth sense warning him to be careful. <em>

_The ride continued on going smoothly for another few minutes when finally, out of the darkness, two motorbikes surrounded the black Sedan from the back and front, jolting the car to a sudden stop. Their driver, unable to control the slick movement of the car because of the icy road, turned the steering wheel and the car crashed in a nearby tree. With a clean shot pointed at his forehead, right in the middle of his eyes, one of the four men killed the driver and disposed off his body. _

_Seeing that the silver haired twins had no one to turn to anymore, the captives closed in on the boys, laughing at their pitiful attempts on warding off them. Zero, not used to keeping his mouth shut in the face of danger, insulted the older men on their lousy getups, clarifying the obvious fact that he knew they all were hunters. It wasn't exactly the first time someone tried to kidnap them after all; it was more like a seasonal thing for the twins. After every few months someone tried to kidnap them and ended up in the ground for asking for ridiculous things as ransom. After all, the cursed Kiryuu twins were famous, if nothing else. _

_Tightly tied with ropes, the twins were thrown in the back seat of a black wagon which had apparently been parked somewhere near their current location by the lousy hunters and then driven away to the hideouts of their kidnappers. _

"_Ne, Nii-chan?" Ichiru spoke a lightly as he could, not to attract the attention of the four men. Zero turned to look at Ichiru and arched a brow._

"_Did they do anything to Oka-san and Otou-san?" Ichiru's voice quivered asking Zero that question._

_It seemed as if despite his attempt at keeping his voice low, the men had heard Ichiru's question judging by their boisterous laughter._

"_Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, what comes from the earth, goes back to the earth." The contextual reply earned the speaker a harsh nudge from his partner, but unbeknownst to the now bickering men, two sinking hearts had understood the gist of it. _

_No one was going to come to their rescue, this thought echoed in the twins' minds. Zero however, remained in denial. His childish mind supplied that both Reika and Gaerik were powerful, and then there were Haruka and Juri with them as well and Yagari and Kaein. Of course, the two silverettes being in their present situation were unaware of the happenings on the other side._

_The car finally stopped in front of a studio and by this time, all hope had been lost although they were still trying to not lose their composure, thinking of the other. The twins were then dragged inside and thrown in one of the many cells that were placed, holding one or more children in each. Some of their age, some as old twenty, all in battered conditions. An hour or so later, three people came in to check the day's shipment, thoroughly testing Zero and Ichiru to make sure they were the real deal. The caretakers there were then permitted to educate the newcomers of their place in the world, as they put it. And so the training began. _

_At first, it was just basic rough handling, a punch here, a slap there, a kick to the behind, but into the second week, when the caretakers were changed due to the arrival of the newest shipment, everything just spiralled downwards, straight to hell. What amused the lot more was the fact that overnight, all of twins' wounds healed, providing their captors limitless possibilities to check their endurance._

_Scalding hot water left a trail of blisters on the once unblemished pale skin. Droplets of blood followed their lead as dirty, sharpened nails of one dug into bruised shoulders to hold the child still whilst the other emptied a bucket of cold water on the silver head to jolt the boy awake._

_Countless tortured cries echoed in the vast room and worst of all, Zero was not alone to bear it all, he wanted to be though. Just imagining how Ichiru would have felt then kept him from showing any response to those brutes. Zero preferred fainting to crying out, knowing that was what they wanted from him... He used to think Yagari Toga's training was torture, but this was ten- no hundred times worse. _

_Zero's resolve broke the day when Ichiru's did and the younger twin finally shouted out Zero's name. Ichiru's blood curling scream still haunted Zero's dreams to date. One glance at his brother and Zero couldn't look away. All he heard then were the tormented howls and he was no longer sure to whom they belonged. Where they his? Or Ichiru's? Or one of the many others present there with us? No one could tell at all._

_After that, neither of the twins remembered much, just that when they came to their senses, they were laying amongst a pile of dead bodies. Everyone except for the Kiryuu twins and a couple of children who had managed to live through the torture were dead. Three people stood victorious amongst the dead mass, waiting for the twins to gain consciousness._

_Kuran Rido, Anton Dimitriv and Viktor Ivanov -the latter two Rido's concubini-(2) after a few days of waiting for the twins' arrival, finally went to the house the family was currently residing in, only to find it bathed in blood and ash. Not yet giving up hope, Rido had then set out to search for any living member of his extended family and had stumbled upon the twins. _

_From then on, the twins remained under Rido's custody and as discreetly as possible, their maternal uncles, Cross Kaein and Yagari Toga had been informed of their little predicament. Whilst to the rest of the related mass, the news that the entire royal hunter clan had been perished by the hands of the vampires was spread. Not even the vampire royalties were informed of this settlement which led to the birth of new rebellions and the demise of the Kuran couple. _

* * *

><p>"Killing a pureblood has severe consequences kid, and I'll make it sure that you don't get to see the daylight another day in your life!" Eyes fixed on his mate; Zero moved closer to Ichiru and held the hand forming the blood whip. Ichiru had a small, cynical smile on his lips, taking in the emotions playing in the blue orbs which ranged from disbelief to fear, finding the other's helplessness exhilarating.<p>

"Stop it Ichiru." He spoke in a voice cold and barely above a whisper, still holding onto Ichiru's hand with one hand and taking his Bloody Rose with the other. Zero knew he wasn't aware of the full extent of the situation or of what Ichiru had become in their years of separation, but he didn't want Ichiru to get his hands dirty, especially not for scum like Ichijou Asato.

"Finally learning your place, eh lad?" Snorting to hide his relief, Ichiou asked, distinctly aware of the presence of his grandson in the room.

"How did you plan the massacre of the Kuran Clan? I believe it is safe to say that that was one fool proof plan." Completely ignoring Zero, Ichiru asked, circling the old aristocrat. It was more for the ears of the spectators present in the room than his own, but he did feel the light rush of adrenaline in his system cornering the man.

"What price did you pay for the partnership with that Okama? Whom did you use to monitor Yuuki? How did you manage to form an allegiance with the Shirabuki Clan when not even the Kuran's were capable of that? How did you manage to get the whereabouts of Cross-san's home and family in Russia (3)? How was it that you survived the rebel attacks that managed to kill the most powerful amongst your kind?" Question after question Ichiru threw at the tight lipped noble, staring at him like a hawk, and with every new question, the already chalky complexion of the older man paled further.

Disliking the fact that the old aristocrat was not answering his brother, Zero finally decided to play the big brother role and moved closer to Ichiou. Holding the Bloody Rose in his hands as if examining a piece of art, looking at it as if was the most fascinating thing ever shown to man, Zero decided it was time that the suspense be dissolved.

"Now then, I believe you'll gladly answer me." Pointing the gun at Takuma, he asked, perfectly aware of Ichiou's feelings for his grandson (4). This was something no one, save Senri, Sayori and Ichiru anticipated and what Kaname had learned to expect.

"Shoot. See if I care." And Zero did, without a moment's hesitation. The bullet barely grazed Ichiou's shoulder, yet again, taking the others by surprise, especially Takuma, who was prepared to fall on the ground. Not many had been able to follow the movement of Zero's hand as he shifted his focus from Takuma to Ichiou.

"I'm pretty sure I won't miss it the next time." Reloading his gun, the older twin said, exchanging a silent look with his brown haired mate. Zero felt that this one, Ichijou Asato, was not his prey and as such, should be left to Kuran. After all, there were a few things which Kaname had to highlight using this situation.

"Kaname, you may do the honours of getting the answers from this bastard. Takuma, I apologize for scaring you like that." Zero's nonchalant attitude was startling as he stood beside the brown haired pureblood, leaning on his shoulder.

"Make it painful please." The silverette murmured, lightly wrapping one of his arms around Kaname's waist. To someone not aware of the current situation, it would've seemed as if the silver haired vampire hunter was asking his lover to wrap up a particularly sinful dessert, not to torture someone.

"Hn." Even though Kaname didn't previously believe in using his pureblood status to teach the lower, stray vampires, he was sure this time could be easily ignored considering the circumstances. Kaname felt that he was supposed to do this, not just for his own being, but for his lost family. That as the head of the vampire world, it was his responsibility to see this through the end.

Without even lifting a finger, Kaname had the older vampire writhing in pain, his insides scorching. This was the perfect moment to show his pureblood superiority to those who had up until now followed him just because his royal status demanded it and make them acknowledge him as their sole leader. It was a silent agreement between Kaname and the Kiryuu twins that the scions of the families which were the future of the vampire and hunter world should be firsthand witnesses to undertakings taking place in the Kiryuu mansion and be introduced to their brand of justice. One of a kind and unforgettable.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(AN: **A few things which I wanted to clarify regarding this chapter:_

_**1-** This is something which I read in the Vampire Knight Wiki. It is a trait possessed by all purebloods and if I am not wrong, was first showcased when Kaname killed Shizuka and drank from her._

_**2- **__Concubini is the masculine plural form of concubine who is usually kept by Sultans – in this case Rido- for sexual purposes. In this story, these concubini refer to more than just sexual partners. They are also used for drinking blood as previously shown in Chapter 14: Another Side, Another Story by Ichiru. _

_**3- **__For those who don't get this reference, it has been cleared in the story that Reika –the twins' mother- is Cross Kaien's sister and she was visiting his family in Russia. For those who still don't get it, in simple words, Cross Kaein lived in Japan and worked as an active hunter whilst his family was settled in Russia for their own protection. Being a legendary and skilled hunter, Cross was on the hit list of many and as such, his family was in constant danger from both vampires and hunters_

_**4-**__ In the character notebooks or whatever they are, it was told that Ichijou Asato is quite fond of Takuma to the extent that he wants him to be on the council. I used that little part to sketch up this scene._

_Now that that is done, I seriously hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. I've lost quite a few followers and favourites on this story in the past month, probably because of the lousy updates and the change in plot. As heart wrenching as that is –enough to worsen my writer's block- I hope I've done enough to bring the story back on the track. I decided to keep the Kaname and Zero intimate moment of understanding for the end, a little cliché hurts no one as far as I know. The character development shown in this chapter, I hope it was understandable and relatable to the story as well. Lastly, please leave a review for this chapter, consider it a heartfelt request from a deranged writer who racked her brains trying to update whilst completely ignoring her biology exam the next morning.__**)**_


	23. Heartless

_**Chapter 23: Heartless**_

"_Do you reckon those two will remain unscathed by the end of this all?" Staring at the empty space where his brother had been standing a few moments ago, Ichiru asked with a forlorn expression in his usually bright eyes. The question took the older male by surprise who himself was lost in a deep thought._

"_Do you want him to?" To Ichiru, the question asked made little sense. Of course he would want his bother to remain safe even if he was hell bent on being stupid._

"_Your only son is a part of all this, so why did you ask that?" _

"_Ichiru-chan, everything has a price. May it be the safety of one person or the death of another. You have to pay in order for your wishes to fulfil. Are you ready to the price to keep those two safe?" The mismatching orbs were not fixed on the silver haired child when talking to him, rather, they had a very distant look in them. _

"_Hn." Ichiru could only manage a clipped response, hesitant since he didn't know what the price was._

"_As a child and still now, you are physically weaker when compared to your brother and ability wise as well. Would you like to get stronger than him? Would you be willing to sacrifice your... self for protecting him?" Rido's eyes had an unusual gleam in them which had the eleven years old mesmerized. _

"_You want me to kill myself?" Amethyst eyes wide with disbelief, Ichiru asked, coming up with only that conclusion. His question caused the older man to laugh, but there wasn't anything warm about that laughter, or Rido's expression._

"_Not yourself, just your heart. Are you willing to do that?" Staring straight into the amethyst orbs, Rido asked, taking in all the emotions flowing in the expressive eyes. _

_Ichiru thought about it. His mind supplying him with all the pros and cons he needed to make the decision in a matter of a few minutes._

"_Yes, after all, I have no use for it." Darkness and hatred, the only two emotions which had so far crossed the lilac orbs. Rido, who wasn't expecting an answer like this, was stunned into silence and left to only stare at the prepubescent boy. Noticing the older man's stare, Ichiru elaborated. _

"_What use do I have for a heart that will only cause me pain? You didn't fare any better, Otou-san and Oka-san didn't and I'm quite sure Zero wouldn't either. Why would I need a heart when all it is worth for is pain?" Ichiru had a challenging look in his eyes, as if asking the other to defy him. This time, amusement coloured the mismatching eyes and Rido laughed heartily. This was the reason why an eleven years old, not so childish child had enamoured him._

"_Well spoken. Perhaps it's time to begin a different sort of training for you." It's about time you take charge in my stead..._

* * *

><p>Crimson flecks tainted chocolate brown eyes, but other than that, the pureblood vampire prince showed no signs of anger. His face, as emotionless as a statue. His form, as impeccable as ever. His stare, as cold as always. His aura, deadly. It shouldn't have come across as a surprise, but it did, since no one had ever seen Kaname display this side of him.<p>

"Kaname-sama!" Ichiou's cry, tortured yet prideful had everyone in the room on edge. The temperature dropped a few notches and a glass window cracked as Kaname let a little more of his pureblood power leak through, remembering Ichiru's words from before, on their way back to the Cross Academy earlier.

"_When the time is right, your memories will come back to you. That night, it wasn't only Yuuki who had her memories sealed; there were two other people who had the same fate. And just like with Yuuki, the seal was there for protection and nothing else... and maybe something to please the sadistic nature of vampires. Two of the seals have broken already. You might want to hurry and be done with whatever you want to do before someone starts tempering with your memories again. A vulnerable pureblood is the easiest target."_

Kaname needed to make sure that everyone knew that he was the pureblood leader because of his capability, not because he was simply born in the royal family and certainly was not a vulnerable, hormonal teenager.

* * *

><p>"<em>What now?" Crimson eyes glowing with hunger, elongated fangs piercing the skin of his lower lip, Ichiru sat there, clutching tightly at the side of his neck.<em>

"_Ichiru-chan, you are breaking." Slightly amused eyes settled on the younger boy, more appreciative than anything. Rido wasn't expecting Ichiru to last this long after all._

"_I won't break, especially now!" He growled, finding this side of his uncle immensely annoying. Would it kill him to act like the old man he was? The younger boy thought fisting his free hand._

"_Your endurance test for today was a success, you can feed now." After waiting for another hour, Rido finally got up from his seat and called in Dimitriv to satiate the younger vampire's thirst._

"_You are so going to pay for it old man!" Ichiru shouted at the leaving figure of the chuckling man, thinking of the most painful ways to get back on him._

* * *

><p>"She did it! She was responsible for the death of your family!" Finally having had gone through enough, Ichiou answered through clenched teeth, pointing at Yuuki who was held by anti-vampire binds in the corner of the room.<p>

"Ichijou-san!" Shocked out of her wits, Yuuki stared accursedly at the older blond. Kaname had now released most of his hold on Asato, satisfied that he had started speaking.

"Your sister let the Shirabuki women in who killed your family and then blackmailed me into helping her." Thinking that if he was going to go down, why not take Sara Shirabuki with him. After all, she was the one who let the girl back to her family and get caught.

"Bull shit! How can a mere kindergartner do all that?" Annoyed at the nonsense sprouting of Ichiou's mouth, Zero's short temper flared and he removed himself from Kaname's side.

"Listen here bastard, I'm in no mood to listen to gibberish right now and I swear if you don't start parroting everything that happened out right now, I'll put a bullet through that useless hole. Got that?"

"Let go of me you filthy level D" Disgusted that Zero had touched him, Ichiou pushed the silverette away, glaring at him.

"May I? Seriously, may I?" Zero turned to look at Ichiru and asked in a manner which made his younger twin snort.

"This is getting us nowhere." Sighing, Ichiru moved towards one of the sofas in the room and sat down gracefully. "You," he said pointing at Ichiou, "come here." And the older blond did, without a question.

"Sit down." He said, pointing at the carpeted floor beside his feet. Even though he didn't want to, Ichiou was forced by an invisible force to do as asked. "Now, tell them all how you fixed a deal with Okama-san that if you were to provide him with the blood of a pureblood every once in a while, he would make sure that my parents went for a holiday to Russia where you would finish them off." Holding the older man by his golden mane who was on all fours, Ichiru said through clenched teeth.

"Tell them how you came up with the idea of planting seeds of mistrust in the hunters' heart by spreading the rumour that our parents were killed by vampires making the hunters wage a war against the vampire royalty for going against the treaty." Voice growing harsher with each sentence, Ichiru continued speaking, and with each word that escaped his mouth, Ichiou's expression grew darker.

"Tell them how you conned Sara Shirabuki into turning Yuuki against her family and making her believe that if she did as you told her to, she'll get married to Kaname-san instead of Zero." His voice increased an octave higher as he fixed his crimson glaze at his older twin and then at Yuuki who stared back with disbelief.

"Now, Ichijou Asato-san, tell them all how much of an inconvenience it was to be ruled over by an annoyingly optimistic group of vampires who preached against feeding from live sources. How humiliating it was to bow in front of a man who was more than half of your age. How... pathetic it felt to have your authority over the vampire world snatched away from you after Haruka Oji-san discovered what kind of an asinine man you are under this whole 'holier than thou' disguise." Letting go of the blond hair, Ichiru kicked Asato on his face, making the man stumble backwards and fall ungracefully on his behind.

* * *

><p>"<em>Are you sure about this? Do you really want to go along with this?" The now fourteen years old boy asked the older man a hundredth time, disbelief colouring his eyes still.<em>

"_I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise." Unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off his well built shoulders to reveal perfect, smooth expanse of skin, Rido answered with a straight face. _

"_B-but what about Senri?" Ichiru stuttered, probably the first time ever since he started living with the older pureblood. He did not know what to do when pushed into a situation like this for he had never felt this cornered whenever Rido tested him._

"_If there is something as eternity after death for us vampires, I want to spend it with my beloved... my Shizuka. It's about time I return to her warm embrace. She has been calling me a lot lately, you know." The shirt clutched in his hand, Rido turned to look at Ichiru with a distant look in mismatching eyes. He didn't hear the younger Kiryuu's question, lost in the mesmerizing cherry eyes which clouded his mind, his thoughts pouring out of his mouth unknowingly._

"_Don't regret it and hold it against me in afterlife. I'd kick your ungrateful behind to hell and back then, okay?" Finally giving in, Ichiru walked closer to Rido and pushed the older male on the bed behind them. Sitting on the older male's lap with his legs on either side of the other's, Ichiru inched closer to the junction of the neck. Prepping the skin with careful licks, his elongated fangs finally penetrated the awaiting skin and he allowed himself to drown in the taste of the pure blood he had previously been only acquainted with whenever his injuries from training were worse than normal. _

"_If you happen to see our parents there, tell them that I may be heartless, but I love Zero all the same, and till my last breath, I will care for him. No matter how big of an idiot he acts as." Ichiru pulled his fangs out of the delectable neck when he was sure there wasn't a single drop of blood left in the older man's body. His pale fingers tightly held the muscled shoulders and one last time before his saviour disintegrated into nothingness, Ichiru placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, allowing a tear to escape to his eyes at the grateful smile on Rido's handsome face. In the end, he was only left to hug thin air as everything that was the ultra annoying and sadistic pureblood vampire disappeared from the very surface of the world._

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><p><em><strong>(AN:**__ Sorry for the rather late update, I've been quite busy with college assessments and then at house that I rarely have time for myself. Anyway, I hope the chapter didn't contain too many grammatical errors. If anyone happens to notice any at all, please point out since I didn't have enough time to recheck it for any mistakes._

_**Lord Mushie, **__the story I mentioned in the beginning was 'Check & Mate'. The reason you couldn't find it is because I removed it quite some time ago because most of what happened in that story, I incorporated in this part since it was proving to be quite hard to not repeat the series of events which took place in this story again in Check & Mate and still make it understandable and enjoyable. I hope what I just said made sense though -_-_

_To everyone else who reviewed, thank you very much for taking out the time to do it._

_Please leave a review and tell me what you think of the story so far and the recent developments. Your feedbacks help me a lot in so many ways. Lastly, this story is coming to an end... finally. Maybe one or two more chapters to go. Thank you to all those who have been a part of this rocky journey with a deranged writer as myself for so long without feeling the urge the kill me.__**)**_


	24. Sincerely Yours

_**Chapter 24: Sincerely Yours**_

All eyes were fixed on the scene unfolding in from of them, enthralled by the murderous aura surrounding their pureblood vampire lord.

_Crack!_

Blood spurted everywhere, on the sleeves of his pristine coat, dripping from his claw like fingers, a few drops marring the perfect skin of his face. He brought his fingers up to his lips, but instead of licking them clean, he sniffed at the scent and then calmly wiped his hand with a handkerchief handed to him from behind, his nose scrunched in disgust.

"I was very fond of the carpeting in this room." Ichiru's careless comment broke the trance and Kaname finally turned his gaze away from now bloodless patch on the carpet. The only indicator of what had once been laying there being the ashes of one Ichijou Asato.

"Whosoever has any qualms, speak now." Looking at his personal group of followers from the Night Class one by one, Kaname asked in an authoritative tone, his gaze finally settling on Ichijou Takuma. Although his voice was no louder than usual, but it seemed to have an overwhelming effect on everybody present in the room.

"Kaname-sama!" The present group of vampires from the Night Class save Yuuki and Senri, chorused. Their heads were bowed low in both fear and respect of the vampire prince, showing their complete acceptance of what just took place in the room.

"Yuuki?" Turning towards her, Kaname said, wanting to know her opinion on it all. Kuran Yuuki, who was a bit too mesmerized by what just happened, didn't think once before speaking.

"It would've been more satisfying had it been Zero in Ichijou-san's place."

"Would it now?" It was Ichiru who answered her this time, the previous mask of indifference wiped clear off his face. He really wanted to hurt someone or something at the moment because if there was one person his heart still bled for, it was his brother, whose brash and overprotective personality had saved him from falling countless times. Whose words and praises had kept him from doing the unthinkable and brought him to where he was. To the point where he was no longer the pitiable hunter child who couldn't even step into the hunting zone.

"_Had it been just me, I would've long given in to those brutes Ichiru, but because of you, I could never lose faith. Protecting you was the only reason why I embraced my vampire half and didn't lose myself to the thirst I felt for revenge. Because of you, I got to somewhat come to terms with death of our parents and maintain what little sanity I had to begin with. It was you who taught me that nothing __would come of sitting around sad and in mourning. That I could have died on that very night along with our parents, but I'm alive and standing on my own two feet. If I'm going to end up dying one day, I should do it with no regrets. You taught me that it doesn't matter even if I'm flung into despair, if there is even a spider's thread I can use to climb out, I should grab it and never give up. You said that we both have the strength to do that and that you'll never leave my side."_

"Yuuki-chan, had you known the meaning of the word brother in the first place, we won't be standing here and you won't be counting your last breaths." Fixing the emotionless mask in place, Ichiru spoke, completely ignoring the weird looks he got from others.

"I'm positively sure that what Kaname-san set out to do all those years ago should now be done. What do you think Zero?" Turning towards his brother, Ichiru asked, knowing that the older silverette needed to vent off some steam.

"It'll be more satisfying if Kaname kills her in the end. As it is, she has proved her uselessness over time and it can be said that there is no need for her now or in the future. Unless of course we have some openings for janitors in the academy." The last part was said while glaring at Kaname who seemed to understand a lot more than Zero wanted the other too.

"Whilst the rest was unnecessary, I believe we have come to this unanimous conclusion that Kaname-san will now rid you of your pureblood status and just so that you don't pose any threat in the future, your memories will be wiped clean. Anyone who opposes this decision can sow themselves out of this world gladly." Finishing with his trademark smirk, Ichiru pushed Kaname towards Yuuki.

The girl in question resisted with all her might, begging the pureblood prince to let her live and die as the royalty she was born, but Kaname didn't listen to a single word she said. Ever since he had woken up from that dreadful nightmare, the urge to kill Yuuki had grown and with every memory that returned, it intensified. Especially after her careless comments about Zero.

"Yuuki, had you actually known to respect our parents and my wishes, none of us would've been in this place. No one here deserved to see their own blood die, but your one selfish wish ruined many lives. It gave a chance to those shouldn't have gotten one and now you shouldn't either." Placing his pointer and middle finger on Yuuki's forehead, Kaname mumbled a few words. For a few moments, every one remained rooted in their places, not even taking a single breath, but nothing happened. Slowly, ever so slowly, the unnatural paleness of Yuuki's skin withered, the shine on her hair dulled, even more than what it used to be and her pureblood aura completely disappeared.

"I guess the show is coming to an end finally." Zero spoke from the sidelines, earning a punch from Sayori for his thoughtlessness. Just then a servant came inside the room and delayed a message to Ichiru, immediately leaving after that.

"Dimitriv, please escort them all back to the academy and Yuuki-chan to one of the guest rooms for now. It seems that Okama-san couldn't make it." Although his face showed regret, his eyes were smirking in the darkest of all fashions, something which did not escape his twin's eyes.

* * *

><p>"Where is he anyway?" As soon as everyone, save Zero, Kaname and Senri had left the vicinity of the Kiryuu mansion, Zero asked his brother.<p>

"Whoever could you be talking about?" Ichiru replied with an all too innocent expression, pulling his older, shorter mate towards him.

"Oh don't act so innocent Ichiru, you won't fool anyone. You know I'm talking about Okama-san." Getting up from his seat beside the pureblood prince, zero snapped.

"My dearest Zero Nii-chan, have you ever heard of the dead walking out of their graves in reality before? How can you hear about it now?" As if explaining a child about the nonexistence of Santa Clause, Ichiru answered.

"You didn't kill him... did you?" Flabbergasted, Zero asked.

"How else would I have come across all of this information otherwise? Of course, after he came to know that I was indeed alive as well, I had to get rid of him to maintain anonymity for both of our sakes, especially mine." As soon as he finished speaking, Dimitriv entered the room followed by his counterpart, a blue eyed, slate haired vampire who looked in his early twenties.

"Gentlemen and Zero, meet Viktor Ivanov. I'm sure if you stressed your memories a bit, Zero and Senri, you will remember who he is." Both Kaname and Senri stifled their laughter at the way Ichiru introduced them and all Zero was left to do was glare.

"I know who he is, I was asking about Okama-san, not him." Zero answered, childish annoyance lacing his tone.

"But he is the Okama-san, has been from the past two years you know."

* * *

><p>Back at the Cross Academy, Cross Kaein for the first time in many years, hugged his daughter, glad that the dangerous times were finally over, for the time being at least.<p>

"You... would you finally tell me about my mother?" Sayori's voice was thick with emotions, her hazel eyes shining with unshed tears.

"You a splitting image of her, her determination, bravery, intelligence, everything. I wish she would've long enough to see you all grown up, but what's done is done." Taking out a family album from one his drawers, Cross Kaein spoke lovingly of his deceased wife, a few tears escaping his eyes seeing her long hidden photograph.

"I haven't taken out this album ever since you were brought to me that day. I wanted you to be old enough to understand for the circumstances of her death... and probably strengthen myself a little as well."

"You don't have to tell me right now, Chairman. I can wait until you are ready." As per habit, Sayori addressed him in her usual manner by mistake.

"Call me daddy Yori-chan, daddy." In the same manner he used to correct both Zero and Yuuki, Cross Kaein said, rushing over to hug his daughter in his over jovial manner.

"You're serious? Like seriously? Do you ever learn?" Huffing in adoration and helplessness, Sayori got up from her seat and walked over to the door.

"I have to return to my dorms now, I'll see you later... Otou-san." The last word was barely above a whisper, but the ex-hunter had heard her as clear as daylight, unable to stop the tears that shed from his eyes effortlessly. This was his family he longed for ever since. Not whole, but his.

_She'll grow up to be a wonderful women, just like you, _he thought as his wife's ever smiling face appeared in his mind.

* * *

><p>"<em>Starting today, you are answerable to me and only me. If there is any lord of this mansion, it is I, Ichiru Kiryuu. That is all you need to know. Follow me, and I'll make this world a living heaven for you. Go against me, there will be no hell you'll experience worse than me."<em>

"_Ichiru-sama!" All the heads bowed low, acknowledging the superiority of the young, silver haired brat prince. Dressed in a black and wine velvet cape with faux fur held at his left shoulder with the Kiryuu crest brooch over black trousers and a white shirt, the fourteen years old teen looked very much the leader Rido had pegged him to be. _

"_Dimitriv, I want you to assign a group of people to administer each and every move of Ichijou Asato, Sara Shirabuki, Yuuki Kuran and of course, my beloved Nii-chan. Make it happen such that no one suspects a thing." After all the workers save the aforementioned man had left, Ichiru spoke._

"_Yes Ichiru-sama. Anything else?" The loyal, older vampire asked._

"_Nothing at the moment, except for one tiny request." Smirking maliciously, Ichiru answered, tapping his fingers in mirth._

"_Name it my lord." _

"_Get me the HA president here by tomorrow. Use any means if necessary, but make it sure that he is here by tomorrow." Before dismissing the other vampire, Ichiru answered. He now understood why the poor chap wanted to overrule his father so much. Being in power felt exhilarating. _

_The next evening, before he was even up, Dimitriv had the HA president in one of the seating rooms, sedated and off guard. For the first time after meeting him then, Ichiru had felt his inborn desire to hunt someone down and drag them to their deathbed, and by a lucky and sick twist of events, he managed to do just that. _

_After learning about his parents' death and everything which had intrigued him about their situation, Ichiru had merely resorted on draining the man* dry and throw the body to his guard dogs, a pack of hounds trained to hunt man. The vicious animals had very appreciatively finished him off, leaving no trace of the man behind since disposing off a body, no matter how efficiently done could prove to be dangerous. _

_Of course, the disappearance of such a prominent figure in the supernatural world would cause more than a few outbreaks, Ichiru decided to place an association president of his own, who would be at his disposal. And thus began the miserable life of every hunter in the association beginning with Ichiru's own older, twin brother, Kiryuu Zero, who hadn't had the slightest idea of the situation. The events that followed the arrival of the new president were pretty much to please Ichiru's naturally deviant and sadistic nature. _

* * *

><p>"So what you mean to say is that all this time, I was trying to win you over?" Slightly green in the face, Zero asked his younger twin who looked far too pleased with himself after he finished telling his story from after his brother and mate had left him for Japan.<p>

"Yeah that sums it all up." Smiling smugly, Ichiru answered, finding the changing shades of his brother's face intriguing.

"When I'm done with you Ichi Nii-san, you'll pray for not having been born." Getting up from his seat, Zero moved towards his twin with the intent of killing him, but was interrupted by Kaname.

"Do you plan to let this situation continue?" Returning to the serious talk, Kaname asked Ichiru. Sighing, Zero once again moved to sit beside the brown haired pureblood prince. It was probably better to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Actually, Kaein Oji-san is aware of this situation perfectly, so is Toga Oji-san. Until Zero is of the age to claim his seat, Toga Oji-san will be the official president of the situation whilst Kaein Oji-san will be the unofficial." Ichiru answered, having previously settled the whole mess with the elders.

"And what have you planned for Sara-san?"

"Growing up amongst them, you should know the most about vampires Kaname-san. As I am now, I can't do much to dissolve the situation after I have her killed, nor can you. I suggest that until your coronation, you just watch how the situation develops, and when the time is right, get rid of her however you please." Leaving her demise in the more than capable hands of Kaname, Ichiru summed up the matter which seemed to please all.

"What about you?" Zero interrupted, finding it surprising that so far, Ichiru hadn't disclosed his future plans to them.

"I like to remain in the shadows, thank you very much. I'll be there for both of you, but don't expect me to share the limelight. Of course, since I plan to finally remove your memory seals, you will have no recollection of Zero and I at all, except from the time of our childhood together. Everyone else from the Cross Academy too will forget about Zero. We will meet once again, but in different roles. I hope you are prepared for that." With that said, Ichiru walked out of the room with his mate and the two nobles, leaving his brother and his mate to have their intimate moment.

"I guess this is good bye then." Zero said, scratching the back of his head a bit awkwardly under Kaname's burning gaze.

"I now know everything, so there isn't any reason to remove the seals. Especially now that I know that you reciprocate my feelings." Kaname's sienna orbs held an unreadable look in them, momentarily hypnotizing the younger vampire.

"You don't feel for me Kaname, it's the bond talking. You don't know what kind of person I really am... all you know is Kiryuu Zero, the level D vampire hunter." Holding the older vampire's gaze and wrapping his arms around the other's neck, Zero spoke softly to the other, probably the first time in his life.

"I will spend eternity and everything that comes after it with you and only you, but once you've come to accept and fall for the real me, only then." Kissing the pureblood for what he assumed would be the last time, Zero called Ichiru and Senri inside. The former to remove the seal, while the latter to take the pureblood back to the academy.

"Even though some things are better forgotten, we purebloods don't forget what belongs to us Zero, you should be very much aware of that." Kaname said as he said his farewell to the one face of his mate which he had come to know.

"I'm sure our life would never be boring with the number of faces you have, Zero." His voice slightly louder, Kaname said to the retreating figure of Zero who only chuckled in response.

"You have no idea what life has planned ahead for you Kaname. I suggest you relish in the few days of peace you'll get before I make my entrance in your life again. After all, a pureblood never forgets what's his."

* * *

><p><em><strong>(AN:**__ Finally, the last chapter! I hope all of you readers enjoyed the story. Now that it has actually finished, I feel kind of sad. To all of my reviewers and those who have favourite-d, alerted the story and me too. I love all of you, seriously I do! _

_**Lord Mushie: **__I hope I have justified their behaviours as Ichiru being more conniving when compared to Zero and in case I didn't, I'm seriously sorry because I think I have exhausted my capabilities as a writer while writing this story._

_**Irmina: **__In case you still did not get the answers to your queries regarding this story, please feel free to tell me, I'll try to rewrite this chapter and go over everything which I might have missed. As far as Ichiru draining Rido is concerned, the last dialogue of Rido sums it all up. It was as much a part of Ichiru's training, sacrificing his heart, as much as it was Rido's request because he wanted to die now and become one with his lover in afterlife._

_**Rayie 159: **__I hope the change made sense for you and so did the ending. Thank you reviewing on this story._

_Anyway, thank you all for your support and whatnot, good bye until my next story!__**)**_


	25. Charmed Yet?

_**(A/N: **Hopefully, I'm not too late on the epilogue which I'm not sure whether I promised or not, but here it is! I stayed up the whole night to type it and there might be some grammatical errors in it since in my haste to publish it, I couldn't find enough time to search for a beta. Without further ado, please enjoy!**)**  
><em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Charmed Yet?<br>**_

"You are definitely not wearing that god awful _thing_ if you want to be seen in public with me." Ichiru's spoke in an indignant tone, looking at his twin with horror stricken eyes.

"Watch me." Was all the older silver haired hunter said as he strolled out of the house with his brother hot on his heels.

"For hell's sake Zero, you are going to meet the love of your life! Why must you dress like a riff raff?"

"Firstly, Kaein Oji-san's not _'the love of my life'_, and I'm sure I won't bump into anyone I'm not supposed to, so I can dress however I want." His eye twitching, he waited for Ichiru to clear his path, lest he be tempted to use force or his bloody rose.

"Kiryuu Zero, think of your position as the heir of the Hunters Association. What will the people think when they see you frolicking in the streets wearing... _that_?!" Annoyed, Zero looked down at his sneaker clad feet, his gaze slowly coming up to his stylishly ripped and faded jeans paired by a chained belt. He wore a delectable, form fitting t-shirt coupled with a sleeveless denim jacket. All items of his clothing were branded and were highly recommended by the store clerk when he was trying it on.

A heated glaring match pursued between the twins, neither backing down. Even when he was paying for it, Zero knew his brother would hate his outfit, and that was just his intention. The past couple of weeks he had spent in his brother's presence were hellish enough, where he was forced to dress, eat and even breathe according to the younger twin's wishes.

"Ichiru, look what your lover is wearing, I don't think so much of his... '_Mouth-watering skin'_ should be on display in plain daylight." Zero said staring at thin air as if the aforementioned vampire was actually present there, and accordingly, the younger twin turned to stare as well, giving Zero the opportunity he needed to slip away. With his inhumane speed, he was beside the black Aston Martin Vanquish Ichiru had given him as a reunification present. In another moment, he was already out of the Kiryuu Mansion driveway and on his way to the Cross Academy, closely followed by Ichiru in his Maserati.

The ride to the academy turned into a race above everything else, with both of the twins trying to best each other, slowing down when they entered the academy vicinity and stopping only when they reached the front of the Chairman's office.

Without bothering to lock his car, Zero got out of it, hurriedly making his way to the office door before Ichiru could get his hands on him, which he did, in the most embarrassing of all manners.

"Ichiru you're going to tear these jeans if you don't stop tugging." The younger twin hadn't even bothered giving him a chance to enter, much less knock on the door before he pounced on Zero, clearly about to burst a vein seeing his clothes.

"I don't care. I already have a replacement outfit for you in the backseat of my car." Which Zero knew without a doubt was a plain white dress shirt alongside a black or grey waistcoat and trousers, beige or ivory overcoat with matching gloves to complete the look.

"Oh my...!" "Finally!" The twins shouted in unison as Zero's jeans stripped right from his waist and ended in Ichiru's hands, the belt only holding the button and the zipper over white boxer-briefs.

"Zero and Ichiru-kun, allow me to introduce you to the Dorm President of the Night Class, you both are going to be under his care for the entirety of your stay here." Cross Kaein himself came out, hearing the strange noises from outside to greet the twins, not prepared for the scene in front of him.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Kuran Kana... me?" The ever elegant and mysterious pure blood prince followed the Chairman's lead and came out of his office to greet the debacle, his words dying in his throat.

* * *

><p><em>Life of my love?! I mean, 'love<em> of my life'_?! What in the world are you doing here? _ Zero turned to look at Ichiru with a forlorn expression clearly stating _'you aren't going to let me live this down, are you?"_

The gaze Ichiru in turn fixed on his older sibling couldn't be any colder and heated at the same time. So much for making an impression on the vampire prince...

"Kaname-san, it's a pleasure to meet you again after such a long time." Ever the 'respectable vampire' Ichiru swiftly stood in front of the mess he referred to as his brother and gave a deep bow, the ripped jeans clutched tightly in his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." Recovering from the after effects of the scene, the pureblood prince replied, amusement settling in his deep wine eyes now.

Zero, seeing his chance, escaped from behind his brother and ran over to Ichiru's car containing the dreaded suit. He was sure that despite the speed with which he had manoeuvred, Kaname had managed to take a good glance at his hide, if the glint in his eyes was anything to go by during the brief moment they locked with Zero's wide ones. So far, he had already managed to make a fool out of himself. _Even I find myself resistible at this moment. _

"So much for trying to sweep him off his feet when my own pants were sweeping the floor in front f him." Pulling up the trousers Ichiru had selected for him and buttoning them, Zero cursed Ichiru to hell and back. He dressed slowly inside the car, agitation rolling off of him in waves before he deemed himself ready to face the pureblood once again, sighing deeply.

* * *

><p>"It has been a really long time. I'm afraid I didn't even know that you two had survived the unfortunate events of that night." Graciously accepting the glass of blood wine Chairman Cross had handed him, Kaname felt his attention flicking back to the older silver haired teen he had seen a few minutes ago.<p>

Just before the arrival of the twins, Chairman Cross had deemed him ready to know the little fact that his betrothed had been and was alive at the very moment. It came as a shock to Kaname, who had grown up knowing that on that fateful night when his parents died and he had debarred his only sister of using the Kuran name and rid her of her pureblood status, his betrothed had died along with his family. Later, he heard that his condition and location were both unknown, but Zero was alive, and so was Ichiru. Hearing the Chairman's confession, Kaname wasn't sure how to react. He wanted to show his frustration, his anger, hurt and loneliness. He wanted to confront the Chairman for telling him all that now and out of nowhere, but couldn't. After all those years of hiding his emotions and thoughts from the world, Kaname just managed to clench his fists. With a shake of his head and short deep-throated chuckle, he was once again his impeccable self, ready to face whatever it was that life decided to unceremoniously dump on him now.

The opening of the door caught his attention and he was pulled out of his reverie, locking eyes with amethyst ones, hardened with subdued anger. For a moment, Kaname couldn't recognise the young man in front of him, so different than the barely dressed youth he had seen outside the office. His silver hair were slicked back in a rakish fashion and the way he wore his suit simply begged to be peeled off that lean, muscular body. He looked nothing like the deviant boy of six whom he took turns to annoy and amuse.

"Cross-san told me that both of you will be joining the Night Class as of today." Seeing that Zero was far too angered to start up a conversation anytime soon, Kaname remarked, catching Ichiru's attention who was busy conversing with the chairman in hushed tones.

"I will be starting as of today. Zero will begin later in the week, or probably the next one. He is after all the heir of the Hunters Association and has some duties to perform." Elegantly sipping the blood wine, Ichiru replied, surprising his older twin. Originally they were both supposed to start schooling together in the next week, but wisely, Zero remained quiet, a speculative look plastered on his face.

"Kaname-san, before Zero joins the Night Class, I request that you ensure his complete safety. My hunter side has been dormant from many years and my vampire side has been well compensated in its stead over the years as you've been informed, thus to any of your Night Class vampires, I'm just a regular vampire closer in ranks to you," Kaname barely managed to roll his eyes hearing Ichiru refer to himself as a 'regular' vampire. Anyone within a kilometre of this person could sense his overpowering, perilous aura tinted with an erotic maliciousness.

Despite Kaname's perfect mask, Ichiru could paint a clear picture of what was going on in the pureblood's head and he smirked in return, _Ichiru, thy name is modesty._ He thought before continuing,

"Zero on the other hand," Ichiru added, "practically exudes hunter magic without the aid of a few well placed charms seemingly oppressing his vampire side. I need to be assured that he will be treated with the due respect his status demands."

During the entirety of the conversation, Zero remained silent. He knew what Ichiru was doing without being explained and was grateful. Apart from Kaname and once from Yuuki, Zero had never really feasted on blood before, quite unlike Ichiru. Additionally, his training the past few months with Ichiru to ready him for his inheritance strengthened his hunter magic, making him so different, yet alike to the troubled teen he had portrayed in his guardian days. His presence would most likely agitate the other vampires not attuned to him and unnecessary conflicts were the last things he wanted in his life now.

In the next couple of hours, they discussed living arrangements for the twins in the dorm before Zero excused himself and drove back to the manor, leaving his life in Ichiru's doubtfully capable talons.

* * *

><p>"Just to be clear, I'm rooming with Kaname?" Zero stared sceptically at his twin who was being debauched by his lover.<p>

"Would you rather sleep with Senri and I?" Ichiru pulled away from the sinful mouth and heaved an exasperated sigh, more than willing to kick his brother out of his room.

"Whatever happened to the 'subtle approach when dealing with Kaname lecture' I received a week before?!" Zero spoke with a tight-lipped smile, trying vainly to suppress his growing anger. Although before Ichiru could reply, Senri had efficiently managed to unbutton both his and Ichiru's shirts and was moving on to their pants, silently daring Zero to stay.

Knowing a lost battle, Zero stomped out of their room and slammed the door behind him, running straight into Kaname and knocking both of them down on the carpeted floor. As soon as he had his bearings, Zero pulled back to sit on the pureblood's pelvis and stared at him hard enough to bruise his beautiful face.

"The last time we were in this position, I couldn't sit, lay or walk comfortably for a day despite my accelerated healing." After prolonged minutes of silent staring, Zero spoke matter-of-factly, ignoring the pureblood's slightly startled expression with a shocked 'I beg your pardon'.

"Next time, it will be your hide at my disposal." He added before getting up and walking away sulkily, not even bothering to offer Kaname his hand to get up, something which the pureblood greatly required at the time. A few minutes passed before Kaname deemed himself stable enough to stand up, glad that at this time of the day, most of the vampires were in deep slumber, an idea which seemed unusually tempting at the moment.

_Zero used to be an extremely innocent boy... I wonder what happened to his innocence. _ Kaname thought as he followed the path Zero had taken to reach their room, marking the bizarre experience as a minor setback of sleep deprivation for the benefit of both of their sanity.

* * *

><p>The odd warmth surrounding him all but relaxed him for a minute before he jumped out of his bed, his vampire senses tingling sensually, excited. There, lying on his silken sheets was an undressed silverette, peeking at him with hooded crimson eyes, a striking contrast against the darkness of the room.<p>

"Ka-na-me..." The hedonic drawl stirring his member to life beckoned him back to the bed, leaving no room for restrain. Belatedly, Kaname realised the faint scent of his blood in the air and focused his sight on the pale pink lips of the hunter marred with crimson. Although before he could react, Zero had pulled him flush against himself and proceeded on ravishing him, starting with the kissable lips.

"And that's a wrap!" Ichiru's annoyingly chirpy voice broke them apart as the vampire himself opened the curtains to let light in and disturb the delightful moment, "pack it in boys before I drown you both in freezing water." He added moving to the king sized bed and pulled the comforter and threw it out of reach.

"Kaname-san, Chairman requested your company before the beginning of the classes. As such, I'm afraid you only have half an hour to get ready." The familiarity which they shared because of spending the entire childhood in each other's presence and being closely related was what prompted Ichiru to manhandle the pureblood into stripping and pushing in the shower without fearing for his life before handling his brother.

"Your subtlety is not as subtle as you think Zero." He intoned; sitting with his ankles crossed one over the other beside the lying teen. "And do cover yourself up, you're hardly a prize."

"You'll look like a prize when I'll be done with you if you don't get out of this room in three seconds." Zero threatened, not bothering to cover himself up. He knew how good he looked without any input from his twin.

"Someone's frustrated." Ichiru sang as he expertly ducked, allowing the pillow followed by the vase to exit the room and knock out an unsuspecting victim before following their queue and showing himself out, mentally snickering.

* * *

><p>"I'm trying to charm my way into Kaname's life and you're proving to be a very vile creature by thwarting my attempts. Stop testing my patience Ichiru!" It was exactly two weeks after that and many more of such incidents that Zero finally cornered his younger twin and decided to instil the wrath of his bloody rose into his misplaced mind.<p>

"Hey Kaname-san, are you charmed by Zero yet?" He asked the bypassing pureblood who was just returning from a meeting with the vampire council, or what was left of it.

"The mere fact that you decided to share those memories of my bonding with Zero should tell you that I was 'charmed' by him quite long ago, Ichiru-kun. I was just waiting for him to get tired of the attitude and return to his bastardly ways before making a move." Kaname replied without looking up from the file he was reading, knowing the exact expression on Zero's face without even bothering to look up. He was sure it mirrored his expression when he had asked (demanded) Ichiru to tell what Zero meant after those two close encounters with the hunter.

"Rest assured, I will deal with you later Ichiru." Zero left Ichiru's collar and dragged Kaname to their shared room in the Moon Dorm. _Ichiru's description was most probably lacking for Kaname to be able to have held back this long_, Zero thought and smirked devilishly. Being able to claim what was his would surely be the sweetest part of his tirade.


End file.
